MOUNT VERNON — When the calendar flipped over to a new year, Food For The Hungry officially closed its 2017 campaign. The numbers were even better than expected.
Food For the Hungry organizers announced the final tally on Jan. 2 – a whopping $341,818. That total took a big leap from the last numbers released in late December.
“This generous total is an opportunity to address some short and long-term goals for Interchurch, the Salvation Army and other food assistance initiatives around Knox County,” said Joe Rinehart, president of Food For The Hungry. “This total is also a strong message from our community that they truly believe in working together to care for our neighbors. It’s now our board’s task to make the best use of these funds. We’ve got some creative and thoughtful people around the table and we’re listening to the agencies and their needs. I’m beyond excited about what we can do together in 2018.”
The money raised for the 2017 campaign completely demolished the goal of $200,000. The annual Food For The Hungry drive brought in $313,691 on Dec. 9, with more donations expected before year’s end.
Of the $200,000 goal, 42 percent will go to the Salvation Army and another 42 percent will benefit Interchurch Social Services. Another $21,500 is slated for Food For The Hungry’s grant program and the remaining portion of that original number will pay organizational costs.
That still leaves over $150,000 available. The Food For The Hungry board is aiming to set a new plan in motion for the additional funds.
