The Sunrise Food Round Up donation drive is underway. In the past, Sunrise has received canned goods to supplement food for clients in six residential programs. But the inefficiencies of transporting the canned goods and the challenge of managing expiration dates have led Sunrise to move from cans to cards. Gift cards, to be precise.
Sunrise is seeking donations of gift cards that will be specifically designated for food purchases to feed its residential clients. Walmart and Kroger are Sunrise’s preferred food retailers, although gift cards from other grocery chains, such as Meijer, IGA and Food Lion, are graciously accepted.
It is no small task to cover the cost of feeding around 130 youth in Sunrise’s six residential programs every day. Each client is provided three meals a day plus two snacks. But the federal government’s school nutrition program reimburses only a portion of the meal costs for breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack. As food prices rise, Sunrise now must cover the cost of around $1.50 a day per client, a number that hits the organization’s bottom line if there isn’t an inventory of food gift cards to utilize.
That’s where your donation of a gift card can help. A food gift card in any amount will go a long way to meet the basic needs of boys and girls in Sunrise’s residential programs.
“Gift cards from our donors help supplement meals that are not reimbursable from the government program, which is dinner each evening, a nighttime snack before bed, and comfort food for special occasions such as birthdays, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Penny Beighey, Sunrise’s food services director. “We provide each of our residential sites in Kentucky around $300 to $500 in gift cards each month to help supplement food and drink costs for their programs.”
To make a tax-deductible donation to Sunrise’s Food Round Up program, please mail gift cards to the following address: Sunrise Children’s Services, Attn: Food Round Up Program, P.O. Box 1429, Mt. Washington, KY 40047.