(above) Feed to Give partnered with Lions Club chapters of New Providence and Summit to donate chicken to local food banks.
Feed to Give Fundraiser Amazes Local Lions
Submitted by Linda Kale
The Feed to Give-Lions’ fundraiser in Summit held on Saturday, September 12, produced an amazing outcome: almost 4,000 pounds of free chicken were distributed to local families or delivered to local food banks as a direct result of the sale. Two Lions Clubs, Summit and New Providence, worked together with nonprofit Feed to Give to sell high-quality, low-priced chicken to benefit local families and the two clubs’ community support efforts.
The Lions Club of Summit got the ball rolling with a donation of $1,000 toward chicken purchases. Feed to Give managed to turn that donation into more than 3,000 pounds of chicken, much of which went to local food banks. Donations also poured in from local families. That meant hundreds of pounds of free chicken were picked up on Saturday and delivered straight to freezers and fridges of appreciative families right here in our communities. This generous act was accomplished by the team at the Community Service Association of New Providence and volunteers with the YMCA in Summit. Lions Club members from both clubs promoted the sale and then came on Saturday to provide traffic control and help to keep the sale pick up process efficient. Cars moved through the line in only a few minutes.
“The outpouring of donations was really heartwarming,” said Summit Lions President, Janet Russell. “We had orders for more chicken than we have ever had donated in just a few days,” said Tom Montrone, New Providence Lions President. “Our partnership with Feed to Give has created a huge boost for local families. We are so grateful for their leadership in this effort.”
Lawson Foods, through Feed to Give, also donated all the profits from the sale of the chicken to the local Lions Clubs. This sale amounts to over $1,200 to the two clubs.
The idea of re-routing chicken from restaurant supply pipelines into local families’ fridges started with one high school student asking good questions. Carys Law, the high school student, was in a great position to ask. Her dad, Simon Law, is a partner in Lawson Foods, a wholesale food distributor. Carys had read that people were having trouble making ends meet, and that food banks were struggling to find food. The meat supply chain was unsettled due to the pandemic. Restaurants were not buying, and grocery stores were having trouble keeping cases full. Carys came up with the idea of a direct sale to people in the towns surrounding hers, Basking Ridge, with profits going to local nonprofits supporting families in need, and local food banks. So Feed to Give was born.
Now Feed to Give conducts chicken sales frequently in local towns. The group has raised more than $35,000 to benefit local nonprofits and given thousands of pounds of chicken to local food banks.
Being a Lion empowers you to help others in a way that no one person could alone. The Lions are dedicated to helping others. Lions make a difference!
For more information/membership please visit New Providence Lions Club nplions.org or Summit Lions Club summitlionsclub.org.
