Volunteers distribute food to families
What happens when volunteers from 100 Women of Lake Highlands, Exchange Club and Knights of Columbus 799 roll up their sleeves and band together? Hundreds of schoolchildren – neighborhood kids who might go hungry during the Thanksgiving holiday – take home healthy food for themselves and their families.
Packs 4 LH was created five years ago when the three leaders of the three groups realized how many students on LH-area campuses depend on free breakfasts and lunches during the school year. Student holidays may be fun times with family, but they can be lean times when there’s little food on the table.
At Stults Road Elementary, 75% of kids rely on free meals at school.
Packs 4 LH organizers are fundraising during the month of October, then they’ll use those dollars to purchase food at a discount from Kroger at Greenville and Forest. On Nov. 17 at Knights of Columbus Hall they’ll host “Pack Night,” a kind of volunteer assembly line to bundle the food for distribution at Stults Road the next morning.
Packs 4 LH was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, and organizers are determined to pull off the project this season. In previous years, they provided over 3,000 meals for underserved families at Thurgood Marshall, Skyview, Aikin, Stults Road and Forest Lane Academy, and this year’s goal is 800 packs.
If you’d like to help, you may donate online here. Sponsorship of each pack is $45, and all donations are tax deductible through the Exchange Club of Lake Highlands.
