Mesquite, Texas – As the sweltering summer months roll in, the seemingly inevitable rise in grocery bills looms large over families, particularly when children swap school meals for home dining. However, a laudable initiative in the heart of Mesquite is fervently striving to address this concern, especially for households grappling with the menace of hunger.
Spread the Love campaign in Mesquite is organized seventh year in a row
For seven consecutive years, the city has spearheaded an annual campaign, affectionately dubbed ‘Spread the Love.’ Its primary objective revolves around supplementing the summer nutrition needs of children who are suddenly no longer privy to school-provided meals.
As a testament to its long-standing commitment, the city once again calls upon its altruistic citizens to make contributions of peanut butter and jelly, commencing immediately and continuing until the forthcoming Labor Day, scheduled for September 4th.
Mesquite Mayor Daniel Aleman joins city’s annual Spread the Love campaign
“For what they pay for a coffee, they go out and buy coffee or whatever, you can get a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly,” said Mayor Daniel Aleman. “So easy to fix. It’s nutritious. It’ll help the kids get through that, that time during the day when their parents may be at work and they don’t have to worry about using the stove.”
In a novel departure this year, the city is also advocating for donations of alternative butters. These include sunflower seed butter or pumpkin seed butter, deemed safe for consumption by children who grapple with nut allergies, thereby ensuring that all children can benefit from this initiative, irrespective of their dietary constraints.
The city collaborates in this mission with Sharing Life Community Outreach, a Mesquite-based nonprofit, tasked with the distribution of the collected food. Sharing Life, recognized for its far-reaching services, operates a food pantry and offers a plethora of other amenities such as a clothing closet, assistance with job placements, and emergency financial support.
The inception of the ‘Spread the Love’ program stems from a stark reality – a significant number of children depend on free or subsidized lunches during the academic year. However, the summer months often mean a void in these programs. To bridge this gap, Spread the Love ensures the provision of wholesome and easy-to-prepare food that children can safely make at home, embodying a beacon of hope and sustenance in a time of dietary uncertainty.
“We know that there are folks, there are families that go through difficult times. And as they’re going through these times, obviously, we want to help them to be able to continue and do what they can. So I, we, we just like the, the name of the program. Spread the love. We want them to feel the love and that we care here in our city and we want to help them through that difficult time that they’re going through and it’s very easy to do,” Aleman said.
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
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