HANOVER, Pa. — New Hope Ministries is fighting summer hunger by raising money and accepting donations to their Care-A-Thon campaign.
Although today is the final day to donate, officials are hoping to reach their goal of collecting $20,000 and 56,000 pounds. The Metzler Family Foundation is matching donations by pound and dollar-for-dollar in honor of Paul Metzler, who would have turned 56 years old this May.
“So far we’re up to $17,000 towards our $20,000 goal, which is so awesome and amazing that the community stepped up like that,” said Molly Hemstetter, director of development at New Hope Ministries.
According to Feeding America, 22 million people experience hunger during the summer in the United States every year.
Helmstetter said so far, they were able to collect 37,000 pounds to their 56,000-pound goal.
The goal set by New Hope Ministries would be able to help people in south central Pennsylvania make ends meet. Officials say summer hunger directly impacts families who rely on schools for meals.
“A lot of schools are already starting to close if they haven’t already, so there’s a lot of kids who typically receive free or reduced meals during the school year and that typically becomes a challenge for families to be able to provide a meal over the summer,” said Helmstetter.
Canned food and monetary donations will be accepted until the end of today. The math breaks down into three parts when it comes to food donations:
- 1 ton = $380.00
- 1/2 ton = $190.00
- 1/4 ton = $95.00
Helmstetter said that summer is also a time when they don’t receive as many food donations compared to the rest of the year.
The most needed items include:
- Canned vegetables
- Canned fruits
- Peanut butter
- Canned meats
- Pasta and canned sauce
- Individual serving meals for our school backpack program (ravioli, mac and cheese, soups, etc.)
To donate or find a location near you to receive assistance, click here.