PALM BEACH COUNTY FOOD BANK $50,000 MATCHING CAMPAIGN IN FULL SWING
Campaign That Benefits Lois’ Food4Kids Program Continues Through August 31
(Lantana, FL.) – Palm Beach County is the 10th-largest school district in the country, and more than 60 percent of students qualify for a free or reduced-priced lunch. For many, breakfast and lunch at school may be the only meals they eat. Through the Lois’ Food4Kids program, the Palm Beach County Food Bank serves more than 3,600 children during the weekends and summer to help fill nutritional gaps that children face during those times. Through the end of August, the Food Bank is calling on the public to assist them in fulfilling a $50,000 matching grant initiative from local philanthropist Lois Pope that benefits this vital namesake program.
Supporters can donate to the campaign in two ways – directly to the program through the Food Bank’s website and also through social media. Pope will donate $1 each time an individual “likes” or “shares” her posts about the nonprofit organization and specifically its Lois’ Food 4Kids program.
“No child should ever go hungry, here in Palm Beach County or anywhere else in this country,” said Pope. “Those of us who are more fortunate have a responsibility to help ensure that these children have access to nutritional meals on a daily basis, especially since schools are now closed. So, I invite others – in fact, I urge others – to join me in this vitally important effort. And it’s easy to do so with this new social media campaign.”
Earlier this year, Pope also made a donation of $1 million to the Food Bank to support and expand its Food4OurKids initiative for children, which was then renamed in recognition of her charitable gift.
“We want to thank Lois Pope for her continued generosity,” said Marti LaTour, Board Chair for the Palm Beach County Food Bank. “Even before COVID-19, one in five children in the county was going to bed hungry on a nightly basis. Through the Lois’ Food4Kids program, we are able to provide nutritious meals during the summer and weekends to thousands of students. There is an enormous need to fill this food gap and we invite the community to take part in this campaign that will help so many children in Palm Beach County.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the Palm Beach County Food Bank now has more than doubled its food distribution efforts as more people are left without jobs and income. In the year ended June, the Food Bank procured more than 10 million pounds of food from grocery stores, restaurants, food distributors, wholesalers and other sources, and provided it to almost 200 local community partners and programs, including food pantries, soup kitchens and residential housing programs. However, in June alone, the Palm Beach County Food Bank distributed 2,713,048 pounds of food.
For more information about the PBCFB and Lois’ Food4Kids program or to participate in the matching campaign, please visit pbcfoodbank.org/loisfood4kids.