ST. LOUIS — 5 On Your Side’s GIVE 75 food drive, “Tackle Hunger,” with sponsor Neighbors Credit Union, concluded at 111% to its goal of donating 40,000 pounds of food to Operation Food Search. The final total came to 44,479 pounds of food.
Each week, “Tackle Hunger” featured a high school football game matchup on 5 On Your Side’s Friday night high school sports show, 5 On Your Sideline. The two schools were encouraged to compete against each other throughout the week leading up to the game to see which school can collect the most food donations. Food donations were also collected at Neighbors Credit Union branches throughout the Metro. Twenty-two schools participated in the donation drive, with Lutheran St. Charles High School generating the most donations – 6,720 pounds.
Neighbors Credit Union also donated $5,500 to Operation Food Search.
"It’s inspiring to see local high schools rally together for the betterment of our region through our first ‘Tackle Hunger’ season,” said President and General Manager Alicia Elsner. “We’re also grateful for a terrific community partner, Neighbors Credit Union, for bringing this program, which yielded such an impact, to life!”
The donated food will provide 16,687 area residents in need quality nutrition for one day at no cost. The food has a street value of $83,338.25. Some donors chose to give cash. Monetary donations totaled $6,488. Operation Food Search says each dollar donated provides four meals to someone in need. Each 1.2 pounds of food donated equals one meal, and each pound of food donated has a value of $1.75.
“Operation Food Search is thankful for the support of KSDK and Neighbors Credit Union in helping us tackle hunger,” said Kristen Wild, Operation Food Search president and CEO. “The generosity of all the schools and their families has been amazing. This food and fund drive will allow us to feed over 16,000 people at a time when food donations have decreased, while the need has increased. It shows how much our community cares about addressing food insecurity.”
Here’s a rundown of how much food was donated by each school:
Aug. 22
Francis Howell High School – 594 pounds
Ft. Zumwalt North High School – 318 pounds
Sept. 2
Mater Dei Catholic High School – 2,753 pounds
Breese Central Community High School – 4,203 pounds
Sept. 9
Kirkwood High School – 382 pounds
Eureka High School – 745 pounds
Sept. 16
Edwardsville High School – 4,557 pounds
O’Fallon Township High School – 1,411 pounds
Sept. 23
St. Mary’s High School – 639 pounds
Duchesne High School – 3,337 pounds
Sept. 30
Lindbergh High School – 1,218 pounds
Ritenour High School – 1,806 pounds
Oct. 7
Hazelwood Central High School – 143 pounds
Ladue High School – 3,888 pounds
Oct. 14
Lutheran North High School – 1,058 pounds
Lutheran St. Charles High School – 6,720 pounds
Oct. 21
Parkway West High school – 108 pounds
Rockwood Summit High School – 997 pounds
Oct. 28
Saint Louis University High School – 438 pounds
Seckman High School – 412 pounds
Nov. 5
Mascoutah High School – 368 pounds
Highland High School – 978 pounds
The rest of the donations – non-perishable food items and monetary – came from viewers who donated at Neighbors Credit Union branches.
“We are thrilled this collaboration made such an impact to ‘Tackle Hunger’ in the communities we serve,” shared Paula Anderson, Neighbors Credit Union Senior Vice President – Marketing. “Our local high school students and faculties along with our credit union members and teammates really pulled together to pull off a solid win, bringing nutrition and hope to our neighbors in need.”
The GIVE 75 campaign started this summer as a way to support organizations in the St. Louis area doing hard work to improve the community. 5 On Your Side’s Project 5 received a $75,000 grant from the TEGNA Foundation and distributed the money among 10 selected organizations.
About 5 On Your Side
5 On Your Side is the NBC affiliate in St. Louis, Missouri and has been a leader in local news, information, and community involvement for more than seven decades. 5 On Your Side is owned by TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA), an innovative media company that owns and operates 64 television stations in 51 markets. To learn more about 5 On Your Side, please visit KSDK.com.
For more information contact:
Alicia Elsner, 314-444-5256
