West Shore Chamber of Commerce

Bring Your Food Pantry Donations to our Golf FORE Business! Outing

Next month at our Golf FORE Business! Outing on August 26th at Rich Valley Golf we will be recognizing, our Nonprofit Beneficiary, Midwest Food Bank!

In Pennsylvania, an estimated 1 in 8 households suffers from food insecurity. An equally troubling number is the 40% of food that is wasted. Food supply is not the problem; distribution is the problem. Midwest Food Bank gathers up that excess food and gets it into the hands of those in need.

Our PA division, located in Middletown, PA, is working with 200 feeding agency partners and we continue to grow. In 2021, our first year of operation, we distributed over $7 million in food in PA, NJ, and NY. Our partners include food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, residential programs, and child feeding programs. Our 2022 goal is to distribute $15 million dollars in food to even more partners and community programs.

99% of every dollar goes directly to serve those in need (only 1% goes to management & general costs) and every $1 donated becomes $30 or more of food distributed to those in need. Charity Navigator has awarded four out of four possible stars to Midwest Food Bank (MFB) since 2011. Receiving four stars indicates that our organization adheres to good governance and other best practices that minimize the chance of unethical activities and consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way. We have also been added to Forbes’s Top 100 Charities list.

After the event, we will be donating back a portion of the event proceeds, from the event revenue to the raffle prizes, to them to help further their mission and we will also be collecting donations on the day of. At registration on August 26th if you are able, please bring any of the following items:

  • Canned goods: meat, soup, vegetables, fruit
  • Rice, Noodles, Pasta
  • Boxed “meals” like helpers, mac & cheese, potatoes
  • Spaghetti sauce and canned tomatoes
  • “Just add water” muffin, biscuit, and dessert mixes (or minimal extra ingredients)

*Please avoid glass containers

Another way to donate is to engage the kids, your family, church, work group, or service club in a fun, meaningful project! Fill a shoebox or similar-sized container with nonperishable pantry staples that can be turned into a meal by someone who may have limited supplies, abilities, or other resources at home.

Examples
Tuna Noodle Kit: Bag of rice/noodles, can of tuna, mushroom soup, peas, canned fruit
Chili Mac Night: Box or two of mac & cheese mix, can of beans or chili, tomatoes and jello mix
Pasta Night: Box of pasta, canned sauce/tomatoes, biscuit mix
Soup Box: Canned soup, pasta, or beef stew, biscuit or cornbread mix, dessert mix
Breakfast Box: Oatmeal or grits (no cereal, we have lots of that!), raisins, granola bars

Click here for more details on the Shoebox Kits

The golf outing is currently sold out for golf attendees. If you would like to be added to the waitlist please email wschamber@wschamber.org. Tee signs and hole sponsorships are available until August 12th and our Mini-Golf & Networking Lunch option is still available, bring your team!

We hope to see you at our outing and if you would like to donate but can’t make it, give the Chamber office a call to set up a time to drop off your donations there!


Thank you to our Sponsors:
Tournament Sponsor: Capital BlueCross; Bag Sponsor: Jameson Stone Law Office; Beverage Sponsor: Penn Waste; Cart Sponsor: UPMC; Closest to the Pin Sponsor: Members 1st Federal Credit Union; Gift Sponsor: United Concordia Dental; Hole in One Sponsor: Highmark Blue Shield; Longest Drive Sponsor: Energy Transfer LLP; Lunch Sponsor: Smilehaus Pediatric Dentistry; and our Snack Sponsor: Cargill