MINOT, ND ( KXNET ) — Groceries aren’t getting any cheaper and to help feed those in need, the donation station challenge grant is back.

The Minot Area Community Foundation is hosting the food drive, which starts in September.

But one local non-profit was collecting food early.

The Souris Valley United Way was putting on their backpack buddies food drive at Cash Wise in Minot.

They were doing the challenge ahead of time because they wanted to get their supplies ready for the first week of school.

“One in every five kids in the Minot area suffers from food insecurity. So the backpack buddies program hopes to step in and help with that,” said Hannah Pederson, the community impact coordinator at Souris Valley United Way. “So providing foods for kids on the weekend just benefits the Minot community that our kids are able to go to school, they can have the energy to learn after they get back from the weekend, and it just helps provide our community with more resources.”

The goal is to collect up to 1,000 pounds of food and if they do, the MACF will match those donations with $1,000 dollars to help stock the Souris Valley United Way’s food pantry and backpack buddies program.

“We are feeding 450 kids every week. That is 450 bags that go out. Last year alone, we made over 15 thousand bags that went into the local Minot community. So we imagine that this year it is going to be even bigger than that. It’s just grown every year,” said Pederson.

In last year’s challenge, more than 11,000 pounds of food were collected, and food pantries received $8,000 dollars.

If you would like to donate items, you can do so by reaching out directly to United Way.

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