Thousands invited to help "Pack the Truck" to Support River Bend Foodbank
On Thursday, June 19 Modern Woodmen of America will bring nearly 5,000 members, family, friends and more to "Modern Woodmen Night" at Modern Woodmen Park. Modern Woodmen will announce the Knock Out Hunger campaign, a fraternal project designed to support River Bend Foodbank, during a pre-game ceremony.
Gates open at Modern Woodmen Park at 5:30 p.m. with the first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. Interviews will be available before and during the River Bandits' game.
Volunteers will collect canned food and monetary donations at the front entrance to "Pack the Truck," filling one of River Bend Foodbank's distribution trucks.
Modern Woodmen Night is an annual event to celebrate Flag Day and patriotism. What better way is there to represent this patriotic holiday than bringing the community together to support an honorable cause?
Knock Out Hunger campaign
This year, Modern Woodmen has selected River Bend Foodbank to support through its Knock Out Hunger campaign. Modern Woodmen employees and members will donate time, money and food to the food distribution center throughout the summer. Modern Woodmen Night is just the beginning.
"Our mission is to improve the quality of life for our members and their communities. The truth is, there are many people in our home office community struggling to find enough food to eat. I am confident our Knock Out Hunger project will help ease that struggle," says Modern Woodmen President Kenny Massey.
There are multiple mobile food pantry events scheduled, backpack programs, a "Meals from the Heartland" packing event, and a communitywide 5k run/walk. Each event will support the food bank.
"This kind of effort will make an enormous impact for us at River Bend Foodbank. Our shelves tend to run dry during the summer months," says River Bend Foodbank marketing director Caren Laughlin. "Summer donations are critical because many children no longer have the benefit of their school lunch program."
River Bend Foodbank is the largest hunger relief organization in the Quad Cities and surrounding communities, distributing more than eight million pounds of food annually to feed the hungry. The Foodbank serves more than 10,000 individuals every week through its distribution network of 300 charitable feeding programs in a 22 county service area in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.
Childhood hunger programs include the Backpack Program which provides up to 1,700 Quad City children with nourishing food to take home on the weekends during the school year, the Kids Café Program providing evening meals to children at three sites, and the Mobile Food Pantry which directly feeds thousands of families each month.
Founded in 1883, Modern Woodmen of America touches lives and secures futures. The fraternal financial services organization offers financial services and fraternal member benefits to individuals and families throughout the United States.
For more information about Modern Woodmen Night or the effort to support River Bend Foodbank, contact Amber O'Brien at 309-793-5660 (office), 309-798-6704 (cell) or visit modern-woodmen.org.
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