Stillwater Area School District's Second Annual Food Drive is Underway

Editor's Note: One detail of the previous post has been corrected due to incorrect information in the news release: due to security concerns, the schools do not want donations dropped off at their sites. Donations may be taken to Valley Outreach Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The second annual Stillwater Area Public Schools food drive is underway.

Stillwater area schools have teamed up with Valley Outreach to help drive out hunger in the St. Croix Valley.

All schools in the Stillwater District are participating in the food drive. Donations can be dropped off at Valley Outreach Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., now through March 28.

You can also help by donating money. Every $1 donated Valley Outreach can buy $10 worth of food.

Valley Outreach gives more than 40,000 pounds of food each month to more than 400 families residing in the St. Croix Valley.

Recipients of this food consist of children (20%), elderly (20%), and those with physical or mental challenges (10%). Other recipients are those adults who are employed, but do not earn enough to provide the necessities for their family or themselves, and those who are unemployed during this economic recession.

There are many measures that reflect the impact of hunger and poverty in Washington County. Here are a few stats provided by Valley Outreach:

• 6.5% percent of people live below the poverty level;
• 6% of Washington County residents have no health insurance coverage.
• In 2012, 46% of renters and nearly 30% of all home owners in Washington County paid at least 30% of their household income for housing—a level considered severely unaffordable.
• The homeless rate in Washington County has quadrupled in the last four years. This percentage includes an alarming number of young adults and seniors.
• More than 1/3 of the visitors to food shelves have one working adult in the household.
• Nearly 40 percent of households live one crisis away from needing one or more of Valley Outreach’s services.

Valley Outreach Especially Needs:

• Cereal
• Canned Meat and Fish
• Hearty Soups
• 100% Juice
• Peanut Butter