United Way of Lake County is hosting a community-wide food
drop-off on Friday, May 16 from noon to 6 p.m. at the Office Max location in
Mentor as a final
call for help to raise food and funds for Feed Lake County.
According to the Ohio Department Board of Education, many local school districts are seeing an increase in student poverty rates, leading many students to apply for free lunch programs. Painesville Schools has an 87.3% student poverty rate, Mentor Schools has a 29.5% student poverty rate and Willoughby-Eastlake Schools has a 27.3%.
In addition, From January 1, 2014 to May 1, 2014, 2-1-1 has received 3,503 calls for food, which is a 26% increase for the amount of calls for food during the same time frame in 2013.
While the need for food continues to grow, this year's Feed Lake County food drive is down in both money raised and pounds of food raised. United Way of Lake County is asking companies, organizations, schools, churches, individuals, etc. to put together one last ditch effort to raise food and money for Feed Lake County before the nonprofit organizations conducts a county-wide distribution to the local food pantries the week of May 19. The most requested food items are boxed or canned meals, spaghetti sauce, pasta, peanut butter, jelly, cereal, canned fruit and tuna.
We ask you or your organization to please consider organizing a food drive in conjunction with United Way of Lake County and then drop off the results on Friday, May 16 at the Community Food Drop-Off.
How can YOU help:
According to the Ohio Department Board of Education, many local school districts are seeing an increase in student poverty rates, leading many students to apply for free lunch programs. Painesville Schools has an 87.3% student poverty rate, Mentor Schools has a 29.5% student poverty rate and Willoughby-Eastlake Schools has a 27.3%.
In addition, From January 1, 2014 to May 1, 2014, 2-1-1 has received 3,503 calls for food, which is a 26% increase for the amount of calls for food during the same time frame in 2013.
While the need for food continues to grow, this year's Feed Lake County food drive is down in both money raised and pounds of food raised. United Way of Lake County is asking companies, organizations, schools, churches, individuals, etc. to put together one last ditch effort to raise food and money for Feed Lake County before the nonprofit organizations conducts a county-wide distribution to the local food pantries the week of May 19. The most requested food items are boxed or canned meals, spaghetti sauce, pasta, peanut butter, jelly, cereal, canned fruit and tuna.
We ask you or your organization to please consider organizing a food drive in conjunction with United Way of Lake County and then drop off the results on Friday, May 16 at the Community Food Drop-Off.
How can YOU help:
- Organize a food drive at your company or organization and then donate the food items and money collected to United Way of Lake County. For more information, contact Gayle Sikula at 440.639.1082 or Gsikula@uwlc.org.
- Make an individual monetary or food donation to United Way of Lake County and send to 9285 Progress Parkway, Mentor, Ohio.
