The Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board’s sixth annual Valley Forge Freedom from Hunger Food Drive has collected a total of $4,658.77, equating to 20,256 pounds of food.
Since the drive began in 2015 as a farewell “gift” to Pope Francis, the VFTCB has collected more than 45,000 pounds of food to feed those in need in Montgomery County.
The donation link has been open since the pandemic hit in the spring with a goal of collecting 15,000 pounds of food, and until the fall, the drive had raised almost $2,000, or over 7,000 pounds.
The September push collected another almost $3,000, or an additional over 13,000 pounds of food.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! We seriously can’t say enough how grateful we are to Montgomery County folks,” said Mike Bowman, President & CEO of the VFTCB.
“This annual commitment to our community is so important. Our neighbors need us now more than ever. We can’t let this virus stop us. We must rally, and work together to fight COVID, and hunger.”
So far this year, 73% of 34 MonCo Anti-Hunger Network’s member food pantries have seen an increase in volume, in some cases double, or even triple.
When nonessential businesses were shut down, the increase at high-volume pantries in Norristown and Lansdale saw as much as a 200-300% increase in client numbers, officials said.
Due to the additional need and high demand caused by COVID-19, the organization will continue to keep the Valley Forge Freedom from Hunger Food Drive donation link open through the end of the year to help those struggling through the holidays.
Learn more or donate here.
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