Making Spirits Bright began in 2012 by Sheboygan County Rotarians with a vision to combine a family-friendly event while collecting food items to stock local food pantries at one of the greatest times of need. Sheboygan County Food Bank (SCFB) became the partner organization. Over one million pounds of food has been donated.

Nightly during the lights show, donated items are delivered to SCFB's warehouse by volunteers and help support local families, seniors, children, and veterans facing hunger through its emergency food network of nearly 40 partner organizations. In 2024, SCFB is seeing an average of close to 6,000 family visits each month through its network.