Kids Helping Kids, fill cars with 30,000 lbs of donations to benefit the Food Bank [VIDEO]
/Local students help Fill-A-Subaru and Pack-A-Pilot for the Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank
Youth from Conger and Shasta Elementary partnered with Klamath Falls Honda and Klamath Falls Subaru to donate over 30,000 lbs of food to the Klamath Lake Counties Food Bank. June 5, 2019 (Image; Brian Gailey / Klamath Falls News)
Klamath Falls, Ore. - Once school is released in just a few weeks, over 8,000 youth in the Klamath Basin can have difficulty accessing healthy food. Kids Helping Kids, wanted to make it a little easier for the youth in need to get food this summer by holding a food drive that helps pack the Food Bank with easy, kid-friendly choices that are distributed throughout the summer months.
In partnership with classrooms at Conger and Shasta Elementary Schools, Klamath Falls Subaru and Klamath Falls Honda hosted the 3rd annual food drive event during the month of May, benefiting the Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank.
Together they raised 30,000 lbs worth of food for the Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank.
“This project is an amazing opportunity for students to see that they can make a positive difference in their community and that we will support them along the way.” Julie Bainbridge, Conger Elementary
This challenge asked the community to fill two vehicles with as many non-perishable kid-friendly food donations as possible.
This is the sixth year for the dealership to partner with the schools for a charitable cause and the third year the Conger and Shasta students have partnered up for our Food Bank.
Together, they held a kickoff event at Sherm’s Thunderbird on May 4th.
Throughout the month, the students performed speeches to other classes, collected donations throughout their neighborhoods and spent Give Back Day volunteering at the Food Bank. Other local businesses and organizations also joined the cause including AmeriTitle, The Daily Bagel, and Klamath Hospice.
“We loved going to the Food Bank to see how it works and being able to help other kids.” said Gracelin Johnston and Kaylani Vachakone-Gallagher.
The month concluded with a Hat Day at both schools last Friday. Students who donated $1 (or more) to the Food Bank had the privilege of wearing their hat throughout the day. Between the two schools, they brought in more than $800 in just one day. The students have inspired the community to get involved with this great cause and the event continues to grow every year.
“The entire team at Klamath Falls Subaru and Klamath Falls Honda would like to thank and congratulate all the students who participated this year and thank the community for their generous donations. We are excited to announce the totals for this year's food drive that directly benefit the youth in our community” states General Manager, Chris Bird.
Klamath Falls Subaru and Honda have long been involved with community service, giving back to groups such as the Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank, Friends of the Children, CASA, the Klamath Animal Shelter, and more. Klamath Falls Subaru recently earned the “Love Promise Community and Customer Commitment Award” from Subaru of America for their work with charitable causes in the Klamath Basin.
“In addition to the food drive, all the associates at Klamath Falls Subaru and Honda will volunteer at the food bank to help sort and organize donations for Honda Week of Service, the second week of June, said Bird. “We are exceptionally proud to be a part of this community and look forward to our continuing partnership with Conger, Shasta, and the Food Bank”.
With last year’s donations totaling over 16,000 lbs of food, the students doubled that amount for 2019.
For more information on how to get involved, visit Kids Helping Kids for the Food Bank on Facebook or stop by Klamath Falls Subaru or Klamath Falls Honda for more information.
