On top of a stage at Hope Middle School in Holt, various canned and nonperishable goods collected by students were stacked to form the word ‘hope’ — the theme of this year’s Greater Lansing Food Bank’s 26th Annual Envelope Kickoff Campaign.
For about the next three months, the Greater Lansing Food Bank, or GLFB, will use mail-in envelopes inserted in local newspapers and placed in grocery stores to collect money to help feed the hungry as part of its Annual Envelope Kickoff Campaign.
Marking the beginning of the campaign, the middle school collected about 2,000 canned goods within a week and donated them to the GLFB during the kickoff ceremony Thursday morning.
“This year, the Greater Lansing Food Bank’s motto is ‘I have hope because I have the Greater Lansing Food Bank,’ but we all know where hope begins,” Principal Dean Manikas said during the kickoff ceremony.
The middle school usually holds a canned-food drive every year through Kiwanis International, but Manikas said the food bank called the middle school to ask if they would be interested in hosting this year’s kickoff campaign.
“It fit with what we’re trying to do as a school,” said Manikas. “It fit on building a foundation of hope for all students and it allowed (students) to be a little empowered to help others, which they love.”
For every $55 the food bank raises, the group can feed a family of four for six days. Last year, the food bank assisted about 1,777 families per month and about 45 percent of those assisted were children, according to the group’s Web site.
“Our thing is to get kids involved at this age because they will carry on for the rest of their lives if they know they can make a difference,” GLFB Executive Director Sharon Krinock said. “(About) 50 percent of the people that access the food banks are kids and (the theme this year) is kids giving other kids hope.”
Through the campaign, the GLFB hopes to raise $700,000 to support the more than 20 food pantries in Ingham County and more than 30 service agencies in Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties. From the money raised, Krinock said more than $600,000 will be used to buy food for the pantries.
“The reason we really need (to raise) $700,000 is because donated food is not there,” said Krinock. “We used to get the dented cans, but now they go to the dollar store. Expenses are going up just for the food.”
With limited access to donated goods and a rising need for food, Peter Pratt, president of the GLFB, said it’s important to start getting the younger generation involved in helping those less fortunate.
“(Children) are the next generation of leaders in our communities, and I think kids get a bad rap sometimes for being self-involved,” Pratt said.
“I think (the amount of canned goods Hope students collected) is remarkable. It shows you how much passion and energy kids can bring to social issues not only affecting other kids but adults as well,” Pratt said.
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