Contact: Bryan Helleso
Marketing & Creative Communications Coordinator
319-235-0507 ext. 116
NORTHEAST IOWA FOOD BANK PREPARES FOR 2017 PERSONAL CARE DRIVE
Waterloo, IA (July 10, 2017) – The Northeast Iowa Food Bank is preparing for the 2017 edition of its annual Personal Care Drive. Local businesses, churches, and organizations will be collecting personal care items to be distributed to over 200 nonprofit agencies in 16 northeast Iowa counties, assisting over 48,000 people in need.
Starting July 10th and running until August 17th, participating businesses, churches, and organizations will collect soap, shampoo, diapers, toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other personal care items. The 2017 Personal Care Drive will conclude at local stores, where volunteers will hand out flyers including a list of personal care items in need and encourage shoppers to donate to the Personal Care Drive. The closing events will occur at the Waterloo Walmart on August 5, at remaining Cedar Valley Walmart stores and all Cedar Valley Fareway stores on August 12, and at Cedar Falls Natural Grocers on August 19.
“For the next few months, school is out, it will be getting much hotter, and people will be getting busier. With families incurring more costs that are associated with an increase in summertime activity, we find many of our clients experiencing the need for hygiene products. For many of us, these products might be something we take for granted. For others, that is not the case,” said Barbara Prather, Executive Director of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. “Government food assistance programs such as SNAP do not provide assistance for buying personal care items, and
as children are home from school and more active, the need is higher in the summer and “sweating the small stuff” suddenly becomes a literal reality for those who can’t afford these products. We sincerely appreciate the work of our donors, volunteers, and partner agencies in helping over 48,000 northeast Iowans in need.”
The Northeast Iowa Food Bank and its partner agencies are one of the only resources available to northeast Iowans in need of personal care items. If your church, business, or organization is interested in participating in the 2017 Personal Care Drive, contact Sheri Huber-Otting at (319)-235-0507.
The Northeast Iowa Food Bank provides nutritious food and grocery products to about 200 nonprofit organizations and programs who assist the hungry and to individuals who are in need of food assistance to sustain life. Last year, the Food Bank distributed more than 6 million pounds of food, which provided over 5 million meals within a 16-county service area.
The Food Bank provides eight programs that serve the Community: Member Agency Distribution, Cedar Valley Food Pantry, the Back Pack Program, Kids Cafe, Elderly Nutrition, Mobile Food Pantries, Summer Feeding and a Community Garden. Encompassing all eight of these programs is a commitment to nutrition education. The Food Bank is a member of the Iowa Food Bank Association and Feeding America. For more information, visit