How do your food donations make a difference?

Making Spirits Bright was initiated in 2012 by the Sheboygan County Rotary Clubs to provide a quality, exciting, family event and to collect much needed pantry items. To accomplish that goal, Making Spirits Bright partners annually with the Sheboygan County Food Bank (Food Bank). The pantry donations received at Making Spirits Bright are presented to the Food Bank, thus assisting them with fulfilling their two-fold mission:

• • To feed the hungry through supporting and improving the food distribution system in Sheboygan County.
  • To guide individuals seeking assistance to appropriate resources to meet their other basic needs.

Donations from Making Spirits Bright are delivered nightly to the warehouse for storage and later distributed to the ten individual food pantries that comprise the Food Bank as well as 29 other partners throughout Sheboygan County. Each pantry then distributes these goods locally to those who truly need them. Over 3,500 households are served by the Food Bank and its partners each year. In addition to the dedicated pantry partners, a variety of smaller non-profit service organizations also benefit from donations such as Bridgeway & Beyond, Safe Harbor of Sheboygan, and Nourish Farms.

In 2016, the Food Bank consolidated its operations and storage efforts into one facility on N. 21st Street in Sheboygan. The new warehouse space provides much needed storage in a centralized location, facilitating collection and distribution efforts. The addition of a donated commercial freezer has allowed acceptance of perishable items, a great benefit to pantry recipients. Another notable innovation in the past year is the implementation of an ordering and delivery system for local pantries, resulting in valuable time and manpower savings for each organization.

Thanks to a $25,000 grant from Making Spirits Bright, the Food Bank has been able to purchase needed items, such as paper and hygiene products, baby products, particularly diapers, as well as items for special dietary needs. More focus is directed at providing healthy food choices for their clients.

The Food Bank is always looking for volunteers. Areas of need include truck drivers for pick up and delivery of donated items as well as warehouse sorters as donations are received. Please contact shebctyfoodbank@att.net if you can provide this type of assistance. For more information, go to: Sheboygan County Food Bank