WAYNE – As another successful year of Runza Feeds the Needs fundraising efforts are complete, local programs focusing on youth hunger and food insecurity will once again benefit from 10% of all-day sales at Runza.
This year’s Runza Feeds the Needs fundraiser on Tuesday, April 5 was a great success as $37,584.28 will be donated to hunger efforts focused towards children. Locally, the Wayne Runza location donated $393.81 to the Wayne Food Pantry and backpack food program.
Pastor Teresa Bartlett of First Presbyterian Church in Wayne highlighted the Wayne Food Pantry/School Backpack Program.
The Wayne Food Pantry started in 1980.
Pastor Bartlett said the Wayne Food Pantry served 229 households which equates to 868 people which included 404 kids last year.
“So, we do make an impact in making sure that kids don’t go hungry through the food pantry,” said Pastor Bartlett. “That translated also to a total of 387 boxes of food that went through the Food Pantry out into the Wayne community.”
The backpack program started in April of 2013 and currently the group serves about 125 children per week to transition from Friday night to when they come back to school on Monday.
So far this year, there have been 1,016 backpacks distributed in the months of January and February.
Pastor Bartlett appreciates the support from the community especially over these past two difficult years.
“Community and financial support has been great,” Pastor Bartlett mentioned.
“We continue to want to be available to folks who are in need. Whether that be children or families in need. We appreciate the support of the community and being able to help folks have their hunger needs met.”
To access the food pantry, call 402-375-2669 between 9 a.m. – noon Tuesday through Friday.
“Each food pantry patron, depending on the size of their family, receives a box or boxes of food and a voucher for the local grocery stores,” Pastor Bartlett mentioned. “Again, those are based on the size of the household.”
Items needed include canned soups, cereal, along with paper goods, canned fruits, canned vegetables or anything canned with a long shelf-life.
Scouting for Food will also be taking place on Saturday, April 9 in the communities of Laurel, Randolph, Wakefield, Wayne and Wisner. Non-perishable food items are being requested to be placed by the curb in front of your home by 8 a.m.
