Basketball for Food

Demand is at an all-time high at many food pantries across the state. More families than ever are seeking assistance during these tough economic times. Meanwhile, food pantries are struggling to keep their shelves stocked amid increasing demand and soaring food costs. According to a May 6, 2009 report from Feeding America, one in six young children live on the brink of hunger in 26 states in the U.S., including Ohio with the third highest rate of food insecure children under 5 years of age.

The OHSAA Foundation is proud to partner with Lebanon City Schools in their "Basketball for Food" program.  The Lebanon High School boys’ basketball team and cheerleaders have organized a “Basketball for Food” campaign for the past three years. During their second year they collected 12,000 pounds of food and during their third year they collected over 23,000 pounds of food and $5,000 for the Warren County Food Pantry! For 2009, Lebanon City Schools have plans to further expand their program to include boys and girls basketball programs at all sixteen schools in the Greater Western Ohio Conference.

Lebanon City School officials have graciously shared information they used to grow their food drive over the past three years in hopes of expanding this program across the state. Using their experience and tools, we are compiling a template for other schools to use.  For those schools who conducted a food drive last year, the template may assist in growing your program for 2009. For those schools unsure about what service project to do, the template provides guidance to make a significant impact in your community and help those in need.

Click here to access the template.