Myers Park residents rally to collect food, funds for struggling families

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina has seen a spike in requests for food assistance.

Myers Park residents came together to collect food and funds for the food bank.

The neighborhood collected over 12,000 pounds of food.

Within the next 30 days, Second Harvest will be packing tens of thousands of food boxes that will be distributed by more than 800 agencies to families in need across 24 counties.

These boxes will help feed families whose children are missing school meals, seniors being asked to stay safely in their homes, those in need of food who are quarantined and employees in our community being affected by decreases in work hours. The number of struggling families continues to increase, along with their need for food.

For the past 15 years, WSOC-TV and Second Harvest have partnered to end area hunger through the 9 Food Drive. One unforeseen effect of the coronavirus has been significant changes to how food donations can be collected and distributed.

This year, the 9 Food Drive campaign is transitioning to a virtual food drive and will only accept online monetary donations. Funds donated will help the food bank purchase staple grocery items to continue packing food boxes.

Second Harvest has a donation program in place with different levels of giving. Donors can equate their monetary donation to what can be supplied by the food bank.

Here are some of the giving levels:

- Donating $7 will help provide a food backpack for children missing school meals.

- Donating $13 will help provide a food box of 12 to 13 healthy staple items.

- Donating $25 will help provide a seven-day nutritionally balanced food box.

Food boxes are filled with a variety of items such as peanut butter, cereal, fruit and vegetables. Each box varies, depending on what items the food bank can purchase.

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