Heartland United Way’s Food Drive Going on This Week

The Heartland United Way Food Drive will take place this week to benefit Hall, Hamilton, Howard and Merrick Counties.

The largest food collection happens at Husker Harvest Days September 10th -12th at the bus entrance from 9:00 am-12:00 pm. Husker Harvest Days is located at 9000 W Husker Hwy in Wood River, NE. At Husker Harvest Days, FFA students will receive free entry into the event with a minimum donation of five non-perishable food items. Food donations will remain in Hall, Hamilton, Howard and Merrick Counties to provide food for local families in need through local food pantries, backpack programs, and shelters. The Heartland United Way Food Drive is made possible by community participation, FFA chapters, and these generous sponsors:
Husker Harvest days, Aurora Cooperative, Farm Progress, Nebraska Farmer, and Conduit.

Donation collections were held at local grocery stores from Thursday, August 29th through Monday, September 9th. Food donation sites for the community are located at Heartland United Way, Hometown Market, Hy-Vee, Jim’s Foods, Kerry’s Grocery, MNO Hometown Market, Osceola Food Mart, Super Saver on 2nd Street, Super Saver 5 Points, and Whitefoot Market. Hy-Vee and Super Saver have $5 and $10 donation bags with a variety of non-perishable food items included. Suggested food items are proteins, stews, dry box items, canned vegetables and fruits, juices and condiments. 

Food items donated by FFA groups at Husker Harvest Days and community members at local grocery stores during the Heartland United Way Food Drive will be distributed to food pantries and backpack programs on Friday, September 13th at Third City Christian Church, 4100 W. 13th St, Grand Island. These donations provide meals for families in Hall, Hamilton, Howard, and Merrick Counties. In 2023, 112 FFA chapters and 9 grocery stores participated in the food drive to
collect a total of 15,100 pounds of food. These food items were then distributed to
22 organizations, which provided 12,584 meals.

For more information, please call the Heartland United Way at 308-382-2675 or
visit www.heartlandunitedway.org.