Food For The Hungry Kicks Off Drive Season with Goal of $330,000

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio—The annual Food For The Hungry Drive officially kicked off on Friday morning, Nov. 1, as a community-wide effort to raise food and funds for Interchurch Social Services, The Salvation Army, and other organizations throughout the county with food assistance initiatives. In Food For The Hungry’s (FFTH) 43rd year of helping the community, it has established a financial Drive Goal of $330,000 and hopes to collect as many non-perishable food items as the community can donate. 

Food for the Hungry is a nonprofit organization focused on providing food and financial support to entities striving to reduce hunger in Knox County. To accomplish this mission, there is a food and money drive made up of multiple events and collections culminating into a one-day simulcast (broadcast online and via the radio) on the second Friday of December. The 2024 Drive will take place on December 13, from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. The food and funds collected by FFTH are distributed to local agencies that work firsthand with those in need of food in Knox County. 

It is no mystery that inflation has altered the lives of countless people. While many people feel the weight of their grocery bills getting higher, the number of people who cannot afford any food to feed their families or themselves is rising. The Mid-Ohio Food Collective (formerly known as Mid-Ohio Food Bank) has also suffered from the economy. Mid-Ohio Food Collective is a major source of food for the agencies that are supported through FFTH. In three years, the buying power of $1 at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective has FALLEN from $11.00 to $4.56. 

Despite the decline in the buying power of $1, FFTH is confident that those less fortunate in this community can continue to count on its generous donors to help disrupt the food insecurity in Knox County. A food pantry can still use a single $1 to buy $4.56 worth of food from Mid-Ohio Food Collective. That means a couple of dollars could provide dinner for an entire family. Therefore, no effort to support the FFTH mission is too small! Fundraising events for previous drives have ranged from county-wide Service Club competitions to Middle School girls selling bracelets. You can make a difference by participating in the 2024 FFTH Drive! 

The people of Knox County exceeded the Drive Goal last year and raised $321,864.48 and 12 truckloads of food. Funds that exceeded the 2023 FFTH Drive Goal were used for Summer Grants. In June this year, a total of $29,500 in grants were awarded to 15 different Knox County organizations, prioritizing projects that focused on feeding children who rely on school meals throughout the school year. 

Funds from the 2023 FFTH Drive were allocated for this year’s Winter Grants that will enable local organizations to provide food to those in need through the 2024-2025 Winter. Grant recipients will be announced on November 8th. 

As always, the largest portion of the Drive Goal (64.52%) and all food collected goes to community partners, Interchurch Social Services and The Salvation Army. The remaining funds will be awarded in 2025 through both the Summer Grants (8.39%) and Winter Grants (13.87%), as well as a small portion for organizational expenses (13.22%).

Since starting the Summer Grant program in 2020, money for the grants came from funds that exceeded the Drive Goal. After four years of waiting to see if we exceeded our goals to fund summer grants, FFTH decided to prioritize Summer Grants to ensure food assistance programs were supported throughout the entire year. To sustain providing summer grant opportunities and account for inflation, FFTH set a larger goal this year. 

Thank you to every individual and organization in Knox County who continuously believes in Food For The Hungry’s vision and the desire to better our community. 

To celebrate kick-off, follow FFTH on Facebook (@FoodForTheHungryKnoxCounty) and Instagram (@FFTHCares) to stay up to date on all things FFTH. Get involved by attending events, donating, volunteering, or even hosting your own event for FFTH! If you are hosting an event, make sure to fill out the Community Event Form on the FFTH website. 

To learn more about FFTH, donate, or find photos, videos, and more, visit www.FoodForTheHungryCares.org. To volunteer with FFTH, call or text Kathy Brechler at (740)-409-1866 or email at Director@FoodForTheHungryCares.org. The 2024 FFTH Live Broadcast will take place on Friday, Dec. 13 at the Memorial Theater inside the Knox Memorial. This is a Knox County tradition you won’t want to miss!

Food For The Hungry—Working together to care for our neighbors. 

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