Hunger in Moose Jaw, a local charity that makes lunches every day for 400 underprivileged Moose Jaw schoolkids, has kicked off its annual I Bought a Lunch fundraising campaign at the Moose Jaw Co-op Food Store — the non-profit hopes to raise $75,000 before Nov. 17.
"We encourage people to donate to buy lunches for school children through our program," said Brad Leidal, board chair for Hunger in Moose Jaw. "We have a goal of raising $75,000, and we generally do fairly well with that, we usually hit our goals each year, and even exceed them. It's comforting to see that in our board meetings, that the community is invested in helping others that may not be as fortunate as they are.
"It's an important program, because it's a known fact that if children aren't eating lunches at school, they're not learning as well."
"One thing we're noticing is that the need for help with food is drifting into the high schools now," commented Patrick Curtis, a board member for Hunger in Moose Jaw. "It's not just elementary kids, we're seeing teenagers that need lunches, as well. ... With the economy the way it is today and the rising price of groceries and the cost of living, I guess the numbers might continue to rise for Hunger in Moose Jaw.
Sharla Sept, the organization's executive director, has noted in previous statements that the price of making more than 70,000 lunches throughout the school year has approximately doubled. Meanwhile, the number of families, students, and educators asking for help has risen precipitously.
"We used to say, you know, donate a dollar to buy a lunch," Leidal noted. "We can't say that anymore, is the true hard fact. And that's why our program used to have a fundraising goal of $50,000. We've upped that now because we have to in order to make the program work."
"We're happy to once again partner with Hunger in Moose Jaw in order to help them raise funds for the I Bought a Lunch campaign," said Maureen Latta, interim marketing and community relations manager at the Moose Jaw Co-op. "We're collecting donations for them at the Marketplace Food Store, the Agro Center, and all the Co-op Gas Bars in Moose Jaw."
Rostelita Macatangay, the Co-op's marketing and events co-ordinator, created a promotional video for the campaign (viewable on the Moose Jaw Co-op social feeds), and organized extra activities on launch day to encourage customers to donate. By correctly guessing the weight of a Co-op pumpkin, donating customers are entered to win a draw for a tub of ice cream, a pumpkin pie, or a free car wash.
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