About 1,500 families will receive a holiday meal this year thanks to CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank’s Project Holiday. Held the week before Christmas, this distribution provides Johnson County families with all the ingredients needed to make a traditional holiday dinner. Project Holiday meals include choice of entrée, sides, vegetables, and a variety of other grocery items needed to prepare a holiday meal.
As the Coronavirus pandemic continues, the need for food in the community continues to grow. At a time when many will be spending the holidays alone or connecting with their families virtually, the comfort of a warm meal can mean so much.
“We expect there will be an even greater need for food as the holidays approach and we want to make sure those families who have been through these stressful times have a good holiday,” explained Nicole Kilmer, CommUnity’s Marketing & Communications Manager. “This is a great opportunity to come together as a community to help families that might otherwise not be able to celebrate.”
Although the registration period to request a specific entree has ended, all Johnson County residents are eligible to receive a meal. Those who have not registered in advance can show up during the week of the Project Holiday distribution, December 14-19, to pick up a meal. This is based on availability.
“Project Holiday is a great opportunity for families to come out and spend time volunteering together for a really good cause,” said Julia Erickson, Outreach and Events Manager. “Since we’ve moved into the new space at Pepperwood Plaza, we’ve implemented numerous safety precautions and follow CDC guidelines that our regular volunteers and clients have told us help them feel safer. If you’re feeling healthy and want to give back to your community, sign up for a shift. We’d love to see you!”
Project Holiday distribution will take place at CommUnity Food Bank’s new location at 1045 Highway 6 East in Iowa City’s Pepperwood Plaza from December 14-19. Pop-up distributions will take place in Coralville on December 15 and North Liberty on December 16.
