The City of Mesquite collected enough jars of nut and seed butters and jelly to make 16,384 sandwiches during its 2023 Spread the Love campaign.
Residents, businesses and organizations donated 911 jars of nut and seed butters and jelly weighing in at 1,024 pounds during the collection campaign which ran from May to Labor Day.
The annual 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.
“It’s heartwarming to see the community spring into action to take care of our kids,” said Mayor Daniel Alemán, Jr. “Spread the Love is incredibly important because it provides nutritious food that children can safely make at home by themselves. I’m very proud we can partner with Sharing Life to help so many families.”
The City works 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.
Since the campaign started in 2016, Spread the Love has brought in thousands of pounds of food as well as thousands of dollars from sponsorships. To learn more, visit www.cityofmesquite.com/spreadthelove.