A record number of children need help through our Spirit of Giving Program this year. Sign up to
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Help Provide Holiday Gifts to a Record Number of Kids Through Spirit of Giving
Sign up is open to sponsor a family through our Spirit of Giving program. This annual program matches families in need of help with holiday gifts for their children with community members who want to help. And the need is greater than ever.
You can help make the holidays brighter for one or more of the 636 families with 1,813 children registered for the program this year. Sign up to support a family on your own, or partner with your neighbors, friends, sports teams, work colleagues, or other groups and help spread holiday joy.
Sponsors should plan to spend about $50 per child. Purchased, unwrapped gifts are due on Wednesday, Dec. 6 so volunteers can organize them for distribution. Registered families will pick up their gifts on Saturday, Dec. 9.
Click the button below to learn more or to sponsor a family today. Thank you for helping our neighbors in need this holiday season!
Sun Prairie Food Pantry Distributing Twice as Many Thanksgiving Baskets
The Sun Prairie Food Pantry is making changes to its annual Thanksgiving Food Basket program to make holiday food more accessible, as more people than ever are seeking assistance. The pantry is facing the highest usage in its 30-year history, up 100% from this time last year. Just this week, the pantry set an all time record of 94 households served in a single day.
With food being a central ingredient to how families celebrate the holidays, the Sun Prairie Food Pantry wants to ensure that all families have the food they need for their traditions. Rather than a one-day basket distribution as done in previous years, families are able to take home Thanksgiving boxes during regular pantry hours now through Nov. 22. And instead of preselected food boxes, families can select meal items specific to their own needs.
The program is on pace to provide over 800 baskets to families in need this season, up significantly from 375 baskets distributed last year. The cost for this food is supported in part by a generous donation by the Bank of Sun Prairie who has been a sponsor of this program annually since 2007. Bank employees are also volunteering their time to help distribute boxes.
With the expected record setting demand this holiday season, the pantry will continue to rely on the community's generosity to keep its shelves stocked. Those wishing to make a financial gift can mail checks to the Sun Prairie Food Pantry at P.O. Box 307, Sun Prairie, WI 53590 or can donate online by clicking the button below.
Neighbors Helping Neighbors - Community Shout Outs
The impact of Sunshine Place in the community is only possible through the kindness of the individuals and businesses who donate and volunteer to support our programs. Below are just a few recent highlights of this support:
Thank you to Harvest in the Gardens, event sponsors, and the Hannan and O'Connor families for their amazing donation of $17,500 to support our Food for Kids program. The Harvest in the Gardens event, held every summer, raises funds to help secure food for kids in our community who face hunger insecurity. We are so grateful for your support!
We would like to extend our gratitude to Mike Crooks who is retiring from our Board of Directors. Mike put in a lot of hours to help start Sunshine Place, serving on the board since its inception to help keep the organization going and growing. We would not be here today in this capacity without his counsel and service. Thank you, Mike!
Thank you to the recent groups that provided volunteers and food at Sunshine Supper, helping the program serve over 400 meals each Monday night. Sponsors included Greywolf Foundation, BB Jack's, Living Water Church, Exchange Club of Sun Prairie, Stoddard's Market, Heartland Church, Sun Prairie United Methodist Church, and the Sun Prairie Lions Club.
