Grant from Lions Clubs International Foundation helps fund service project
The Westfield Lions Club recently received a $2,250 grant from a partnership between the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) and Elevance Health Foundation.
Photo provided by Westfield Lions Club
When Lions Club member Carrie Larrison learned that the grants being offered by LCIF could be used to assist with food insecurity in the community, she immediately thought of Open Doors Food pantry, where she is vice president of special projects.
Open Doors provides “Weekend Food Bags” that are distributed to students in Westfield schools. In addition to the grant money, employees from Anthem Health in Indianapolis, as well as several members of the Westfield Lions Club, volunteered to organize and pack the food that was then distributed to the schools for October. Currently, there are 219 students in Westfield receiving these food bags every week.
To keep the program going, Open Doors needs approximately 9,000 food items every month. This includes almost 500 each of canned pasta meals, individual mac and cheese pouches and cups, condensed chicken and noodle soup, cereal, oatmeal packets, Pop-Tarts, and various snacks like fruit cups and applesauce.
Photo provided by Westfield Lions Club
Open Doors needs the public’s help in collecting the food items it distributes to the students each month. For a complete list of items that are needed, community members are encouraged to visit opendoorswestfield.org or visit the Amazon Wish List.
About LCIF
For more than 50 years, LCIF has been strengthening communities and assisting those in need through humanitarian services and grants. LCIF is recognized as one of the most financially effective charitable organizations in the world with 100 percent of the funds raised going to help those in need, including millions of dollars annually to disaster relief efforts around the world. For more information on LCIF and how to support it, go to LionsClubs.org.