Businesses from around Northwest Indiana came together Thursday to provide holiday meals to over 500 region families and continue an annual tradition. For nearly a decade, Strack & Van Til, Aunt Millie’s, Indiana Beverage, MillerCoors and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana have partnered with the goal of providing Club families with warm and hearty meals each holiday season.
The program initially began as a partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana, with local businesses donating meals to Lake County families. In 2018, the organization merged with Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County in 2018, forming Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana and providing an opening to help even more.
“We knew that the merger meant Boys & Girls Clubs were serving a significantly larger number of region families, and we saw that as an opportunity to efficiently expand the program and help a lot more families out,” said Jeff Strack, president/CEO of Strack & Van Til.
This year, 510 families received donations. For those involved, the program is a way to honor the spirit of the holidays and help families that might be struggling.
“These generous donors know it can be hard enough for many families to put food on the table,” said Alison Martin, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana’s vice president of philanthropy. “They wanted to provide some cheer during the season and make sure families don’t have to worry at all about food on such a special holiday.”
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana has been opening doors to GREAT FUTURES for Porter and Lake County youth for over 60 years. Clubs are open after school and provide great places for youth in grades K-12 to meet friends and have fun while in a safe, supervised environment. Clubs are open during holidays and in the summer. Annual membership is only $35.00. For information on membership, volunteer opportunities, or to make a tax-deductible donation, please contact your local Club by calling (219) 764-2582 or visiting bgcgreaternwi.org. Great Futures Start HERE.
