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As the holiday season kicks off, the Union County community is once again encouraged to donate goods and funds to the annual Christmas Basket Fund.
This money is split between three area food pantries — Food Shelf, Creston Area Food Pantry and MATURA to fund baskets which will be given to Union County residents.
Though money will continue to be collected through Christmas, baskets will be distributed at the Food Shelf, 301 N. Elm St. in Creston, from 9 to 11 a.m.
Monetary donations can be left at the Creston News Advertiser, 503 W. Adams St. Donations can also be made through PayPal. Using a smartphone, people can open the camera app on their phone, hold their camera over the QR code and a web link will pop up to click on and it will take the donor directly to the Christmas Basket donation portal.
The CNA also has a QR code hanging in the front window of the office that can be scanned.
The donation can have a name listed, be anonymous or can even include a personal message.
The baskets will also have $10 certificates for perishable food items that can be redeemed at Hy-Vee, Fareway or Walmart, all in Creston.
According to Feeding America’s annual study, all 99 counties in Iowa saw an increase in food insecurity.
Food insecurity occurs when a household cannot access enough food due to a lack of money and other essential resources.
“In Iowa, 385,130 persons do not know where they will find their next meal. That includes 120,220 children,” the Food Bank of Iowa says. “The annual meal gap in Iowa is nearly 73 million meals. Additional money required to meet the state’s food needs would exceed $248.3 million.”
The report shows Union County has a food insecurity rate of 13.2%, an estimated 1,590 people.
Each Friday, the CNA will run a weekly update about the Christmas Basket donations through the season to encourage people to give.
The goal is $12,000.