Feeding the 5000: A Spring Tradition of Giving and Gathering
For over a quarter of a century, the Portneuf Valley Interfaith Fellowship has united our community through their “Feeding the 5000” food drive and fundraising campaign. With events scattered throughout the spring, this multi-week initiative is one of the oldest continuously running food drives in the country and is a true testament to what we can achieve when different faith communities come together with a single goal: alleviating hunger and food insecurity.
This year’s campaign features an exciting lineup of community-driven events throughout March, April, and May in Pocatello. Following a highly successful kickoff concert that launched the campaign on March 14th, we are gearing up for the massive community-wide Grocery Store Food Drive. From 9:00am-4:00pm on Saturday, April 11th, dedicated volunteers will be stationed at grocery stores across Pocatello to collect non-perishable food donations from generous shoppers. Stations will be set up at Fred Meyer, Ridley’s, and Albertsons locations throughout town. The momentum continues April 25th with a Progressive Dinner – starting at Caldwell Park at 5:30 PM – where guests will move between local churches within the neighborhood and enjoy appetizers, meals, and desserts prepared by nearly a dozen different faith groups. Finally, everyone is invited to gather for a Closing Ceremony on May 4th to celebrate the collective impact that the community has had in helping to address food insecurity across the region.
The food and funds raised through this Feeding the 5000 campaign are vital to The Idaho Foodbank’s operations in East Idaho. Since 92% of our revenue is supported by individual, foundation, corporate, and community organization donors, the community support and awareness brought through this event are instrumental in allowing us to continue the work that we’re doing. We are continually inspired by the dedication of the Portneuf Valley Interfaith Fellowship and the thousands of community members who step up to participate and help those most in need.
