The annual Food 4 Youth Challenge is underway in Custer County, with food, gift card and monetary donations being collected through October 21 to help provide meals and snacks to area students.
The drive, organized by Adams Land & Cattle for the eighth consecutive year, supports school backpack programs as well as local food pantries. The backpack programs provide food and other necessities for students to take home, helping address food insecurity outside of the school day.
Donations can be dropped off at participating businesses and organizations throughout the county, including the KCNI/KBBN studios in Broken Bow. Checks may also be made payable to the Custer County Foundation with “Food 4 Youth” specified in the memo. Donations will be distributed among participating schools and programs which will allow them to shop for specific needs when they arise.
A release ahead of the drive’s launch said that schools are particularly looking for food items that children can easily prepare themselves. Suggested donations include canned ravioli, soup, vegetables and fruit, along with boxed foods like macaroni and cheese, pasta, cereal, Hamburger Helper, Jell-O, snack bars, Pop-Tarts, and fruit snacks. Peanut butter and gift cards to local grower stores are also encouraged.
Last year’s campaign collected more than 4,300 snacks and meals for Custer County backpack programs and food pantries, along with more than $5,600 in gift cards and monetary donations.
Those with questions can contact Liz Babcock at Adams Land & Cattle at 308-870-2027 or [email protected]
This year’s participating businesses and organizations include:
Adams Land & Cattle
Anselmo-Merna Schools
BD
Black Hills Energy
Bow Family Furniture (Both Locations)
Broken Bow Animal Hospital
Broken Bow Chamber
Broken Bow FBLA
Broken Bow Public Schools-North Park
Bruning Bank
Custer County Foundation
Custer County Historical Society
Custer Federal Bank
Dairy Queen
Evans Feed
Geared 4 Sports
Grocery Kart
Highstreet Insurance
Insurance of the Heartland
KBear
KCNI/KBBN
Lillie Kate Boutique
Melham Medical Center
Muddy Creek Ag, LLC
Nebraska State Bank
Sargent FBLA
Sargent Irrigation
State Farm
TEAM Physical Therapy
Thomas Livestock
Trotter’s (Downtown Broken Bow Location)
