County comes together to ‘Pack the Cruisers’ with nearly 44K meals

Submitted

Thank you, Hamilton County, for helping provide at least 43,930 meals to local food pantries and Summer Lunch programs in May and June.

May 14 was the National Association of Letter Carriers (NACL) Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, which was held nationwide and in Hamilton County communities. Local NACL 888 coordinates this food drive every year and works with the food support network throughout the county.

This year in Fishers and Noblesville alone, 29,034 pounds of food were donated through this one-day drive to 14 pantries and to Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank.

Thank you to all the bag folders, postcard staplers, day of volunteers and especially the letter carriers. Come rain or shine, everyone worked together to help make this happen again after a three-year break in the traditional food drive to keep the 30-year tradition ongoing.

Then, on June 4 volunteers Packed the Cruisers. To help Summer Lunch programs and pantries throughout the county each year, nine Kroger stores, seven county police departments and the county sheriff’s department come together with the Summer Lunch Programs to provide needed food for kids. This was the sixth year for Pack the Cruiser locally, and together 16,834 pounds of food and $11,417 were donated.

Thank you to all the Kroger store personnel, police officers, and program volunteers who helped out with this effort. Thank you to the Summer Lunch program providers who take this huge effort every summer.

For additional information about Hamilton County Harvest Food Bank, please visit hchfoodbank.org.

Noblesville police officer Alex Linn was joined by Michelle Hammes and Barbara Yattaw.

Photos provided