Thanks for helping Sheboygan County Food Bank make strides against hunger. Here's how you can continue to help.
The 2023 holiday season kicked off with huge strides against hunger in Sheboygan County. We're excited to share that our sixth annual Holiday Lights Hunger Run/Walk fundraiser, held Nov. 18, raised over $90,000. This puts us at over $320,000 raised across all six years. Sponsorships, registration fees, purchased apparel and gear, VIP parking passes, and donations for this event directly support Sheboygan County Food Bank 's work to make sure nutritious and fresh food reaches our neighbors in need.
The generosity we received from local businesses, individuals and organizations made this event possible. We're grateful for our dedicated volunteer committee members who helped staff plan throughout the year and day-of-event volunteers. Special thanks to our Event Sponsor (Making Spirits Bright), top sponsors (Acuity, Kohler Company, Johnsonville, WLKN – Lake 98.1, Sartori), and all of our committed sponsors and in-kind partners.
The combination of high inflation and reduced government support this year has made it difficult for many families in our community to put food on the table. So far in 2023, Sheboygan County Food Bank has been serving over 5,100 families each month through food pantries and other partner agencies, which is up almost 60% from 2022. The good news is that despite challenges out of our control, together, we can continue to be there for our neighbors.
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Recently, we met one of our neighbors, Carol, who's an inspiring grandmother raising her two growing teenage grandsons on a fixed income. Carol is burdened with buying clothes, shoes and school supplies, and covering the costs that come with being enrolled in sports. She also sees the trauma of hunger through her youngest grandson, who regularly hoards food under his bed as a result of his past, unstable living situations. While more than happy to be there for her boys, Carol shared how she was deeply grateful that Sheboygan County Food Bank exists.
If community members couldn't make it to our run/walk this year and are looking for ways to give back by supporting families like Carol's, please consider donating online at sheboygancountyfoodbank.com or mailing gifts to our location at 3115 N. 21st St., Suite 1, Sheboygan, WI 53083.
Patrick Boyle is executive director of Sheboygan County Food Bank, which distributes nutritious emergency food to its network of 21 food pantries and other partner organizations throughout Sheboygan County.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan County Food Bank Holiday Lights Hunger Run 2023 results
