Spread the Love campaign to feed Mesquite kids grows by 282%

The City of Mesquite collected 282% more jars of nut and seed butters and jelly compared to last year during the 2024 Spread the Love campaign.

Residents, businesses and organizations donated 3,912 pounds of jars of nut and seed butters and jelly during the collection campaign which ran from May to Labor Day. That's enough to make approximately 25,536 sandwiches.

"Times are tough right now, and people are struggling. I'm very proud that through this campaign, we can help so many families," said Mayor Daniel Alemán, Jr. "We truly appreciate our long-standing partnership with Sharing Life to help the community."

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.

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 also accepts financial donations toward Spread the Love year-round at sharing.life/donate.

"The donations to this year's campaign provided thousands of sandwiches for kids who were food insecure this summer," said Teresa Jackson, CEO of Sharing Life Community Outreach. "Spread the Love is a valuable source of protein for our Nourish 2 Flourish backpack program. Thank you to the City of Mesquite and all who gave!"

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.