It’s summer, and for many Utah families summer means swimming pools, vacations and playing at the park. But for the families we serve, summer means increased food insecurity due to the summer nutrition gap. When kids are out of school, they also lose access to school meal programs, and parents have to find a way to provide two additional meals daily, putting additional strain on an already-thin budget. These kids spend their summer worrying about where their next meal will come from instead of swimming at the pool. Sadly, donations are also at their lowest during the summer months as families in a position to help are busy with their summer activities.
Our annual Summer Business Food & Fund Drive runs through the end of August and focuses on local businesses, because just like hunger, they don’t take a summer vacation. We encourage businesses and organizations across the state to host food and/or fund drives at this critical time of need. There are so many creative ways to motivate your coworkers to give, whether it’s an opportunity to wear jeans in exchange for a donation, incentives for employees to participate, or even a bake sale to benefit our work. You’d be surprised to see what a little healthy inter-department competition can do in the name of helping Utah kids facing hunger!
We even offer a Virtual Food Drive, which allows you to create your own donation page where employees can “shop” for the items they wish to donate, while taking advantage of our incredible purchasing power! If you prefer a traditional food drive, we offer supplies and transportation services (500 lbs. minimum) so your employees can donate at your workplace. Or you could take inspiration from sponsor Les Olson Company who supports us with a combination of the two, and even offers payroll deductions to their employees to make it even easier for them to participate!
If you’re not sure where to get started, take a look at our Food Drive FAQs. If you’re ready to help the 1 in 7 Utah kids facing hunger during this critical time of need, visit our Summer Business Food & Fund Drive webpage to sign up. Thank you for your support!
