The City of Mesquite has launched its annual Spread the Love campaign to help feed kids over the summer break.
Residents are invited to donate jars of peanut butter and jelly during the collection campaign which runs through Labor Day, Sept. 4, 2023.
This year, the City also is calling for donations of alternative butters that are safe for kids with nut allergies, such as sunflower seed butter or pumpkin seed butter.
Donations are being collected at four locations:
- George A. Venner, Sr. Municipal Center, 1515 N. Galloway Ave.
- Mesquite City Hall, 757 N. Galloway Ave.
- Main Library, 300 W. Grubb Drive
- North Branch Library, 2600 Oates Drive
The City partners with Sharing Life Community Outreach to distribute the food collected. Sharing Life is a Mesquite-based nonprofit that runs a food pantry and provides other services including a clothes closet, job placement assistance and emergency financial support. Sharing Life accepts financial donations toward Spread the Love year-round at sharing.life/donate.
The Spread the Love program was developed because many kids rely on free or reduced lunches during the school year but don’t have access to these programs over the summer. Spread the Love provides nutritious food kids can make at home by themselves.
Since the campaign started in 2016, Spread the Love has brought in hundreds of pounds of food as well as thousands of dollars from sponsorships. To learn more, visit www.cityofmesquite.com/spreadthelove.