Home Sweet Home and Midwest Food Bank team up for ‘Give Thanks 2015’ campaign

Posted on October 15, 2015
Carolann Carara of Home Sweet Home Ministries and Mike Hoffman with the Midwest Food Bank discuss the "Give Thanks 2015" campaign. (Photo by Joe Ragusa/WJBC)
Carolann Carara of Home Sweet Home Ministries and Mike Hoffman with the Midwest Food Bank discuss the “Give Thanks 2015” campaign. (Photo by Joe Ragusa/WJBC)

By Joe Ragusa

BLOOMINGTON – Residents of Bloomington-Normal are being asked to help out the less fortunate this Thanksgiving.

Home Sweet Home Ministries and the Midwest Food Bank are partnering together for the “Give Thanks 2015” campaign. The organizations are hoping to provide 2,000 families with a full Thanksgiving meal this year.

Carolann Carara, Director of Hospitality Services at Home Sweet Home Ministries, said the need in the community rose significantly in 2008.

“And then after that we thought it would level off, but it really hasn’t leveled off that much,” Carara said. “A lot of people are working, but they’re working a part-time job or they’re working two part-time jobs and they have three kids. Well, you can’t make ends meet on minimum wage jobs. You can pay, maybe, your rent and stuff but then you can’t buy food.”

Food drives will be held every Saturday between Oct. 24 and Nov. 14 at Bloomington-Normal Jewel-Osco stores and the first two Saturdays of November at area Walmarts. Hy-Vee is also participating with pre-packaged food baskets available for $10. Those baskets are also available at Jewel.

Volunteers and monetary donations are also needed. More information can be found at GiveThanks2015.org.

The meals will be distributed Nov. 21 and Nov. 23.

Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].

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