CCS of Northern Utah offers two ways to help feed the hungry

Intermountain Catholic

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Benedictine Sr. Stephanie Mongeon once again will bake her famous Bundt cake to auction off at the Dream Builder's Luncheon this year.

OGDEN — Helping the hungry is the main focus of Catholic Community Services of Northern Utah.

CCS of Northern Utah runs the largest food pantry in the state, distributing more than 235,000 pounds of food to thousands of people in need.

 “Many people aren’t making enough of a wage to live on,” and any medical or employment emergency puts them in danger of going hungry, said Maresha Bosgieter, CCS Northern Utah director.

To help prevent this, Northern CCS of Utah has several ways to involve the community to help gather food and donations to provide for the hungry.

One is a program called “Grow a Row,” which asks people from around Utah to plant an extra bit of produce in their gardens, meant specifically to be donated to help feed the hungry in Utah.

“Fruit and vegetables can be pretty expensive if you go to the store,” Bosgieter said. “If you have [only] $20 and you need to feed your family for the next few days, you’re going to go for the cheap stuff.”

People who are below the poverty line deserve the same quality and healthy food items as everyone else, Bosgieter said, and the Grow a Row program helps them get the food they need. “It’s a big benefit for our clients to get (fresh produce) straight from the garden.”

When the produce is harvested, donors can drop it off on a weekday at CCS in Ogden and let the food pantry know it is for Grow a Row.

Another way to help CCS Northern Utah is by attending the Dream Builder’s Luncheon, CCS of Northern Utah’s only fundraiser.  

“It helps raise awareness for the services we provide,” Bosgieter said.

The May 24 fundraiser will mark the event’s 10th anniversary.

Not only does the $40 entrance fee help feed the hungry, the fundraiser is the perfect time to recognize and award the people “who are making a difference” in Utah, Bosgieter said.

One of the fundraiser’s honorees is Associated Foods, an organization that has long been partnered with CCS of Northern Utah by providing monetary donations and food donations, especially for CCS of Northern Utah’s Bridge the Gap program, which gives schoolchildren a bag of easy-to-fix groceries over the weekend, when they do not have access to school lunches.

The Knights of Columbus and Marcella Martinez, who works with at risk people in Ogden, will be honored at the luncheon as well.

Lt. Governor Spencer J. Cox will be the keynote speaker; Bishop Oscar A. Solis will attend.

In addition, Sister Stephanie Mongeon will return to bake her famous Bundt cake, which will be auctioned off to the highest bidder, Bosgieter said.

WHAT: Dream Builder’s Luncheon

WHEN: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Wednesday, May 24

WHERE: Ogden Eccles Conference Center, 2415 Washington Blvd., Ogden

COST: $40 per person

RSVP to mbosgieter@ccsutah.org. For sponsorship information, visit https://www.ccsnorthernutah.org/images/Dream_Builders_Breakfast/2017/Sponsor_Benefits_2017.pdf.