EAST ALTON — The Southwest Illinois Division of United Way of Greater St. Louis is partnering with several local companies and schools to host its second annual Food for Families food drive this week. The drive, aimed at helping meet the growing need of local food pantries to keep their shelves stocked, will culminate with a public donation event this Saturday, April 22.
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Local schools participating in the collection include: East Alton School District 13, Granite City School District 9, St. Mary’s, Marquette High School and St. Elizabeth’s. Students are encouraged to bring in nonperishable canned goods throughout the week to contribute to their total, which could win them one of three cash prizes donated by local companies. The prizes will be awarded to the schools that collect the most food by poundage per student. Additionally, monetary donations are being accepted and will also count towards the final amount donated per school. First place will receive $1,000, second place will receive $750 and third place will receive $250.
The general public are also encouraged to bring their donations to the Granite City Schnucks, located at 3100 Madison Avenue, on Saturday, April 22 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monetary donations are also being accepted at www.helpingpeople.org/fooddrive. Last year, the community donated over 19,000 pounds of food to help local families.
The following companies are partnering with United Way to sponsor the event: Dynamic Transit Company, The Bank of Edwardsville, Granite City Steel Credit Union, Schnucks, Andy’s Auto Body Towing and Storage and First Bank.
Donated items needed include: canned fruit, canned vegetables, hamburger helper, canned meat, canned tuna, peanut butter, jelly, macaroni and cheese, cereal, oatmeal, rice, canned soup and pasta.
All items collected will be distributed to the following organizations: Collinsville Food Pantry, Community Care Center, Crisis Food Center, Operation Blessing, Salvation Army – Granite City and Alton locations, Venice Township Food Pantry, Guardian Angel Food Pantry and Catholic Charities.
For more information about United Way’s Southwest Illinois Division, visit HelpingPeople.org or contact United Way at (618) 258-9800.
About United Way of Greater St. Louis
United Way of Greater St. Louis mobilizes the community with one goal in mind — helping people live their best possible lives. United Way helps one in three people in our 16-county region in Missouri and Illinois by supporting the foundation for a good quality of life through basic needs, education, financial stability, health and strong communities. For more information, contact 314-421-0700 or visit www.HelpingPeople.org.
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