On Monday, November 25, 2024, local radio stations Coast 93.1, 98.9 WCLZ and 101.9 WPOR joined forces for the 19th annual Neighbors in Need Donation Drive for Preble Street Food Programs. More than 300 people and local organizations donated, beating the $20,000 goal and raising more than $24,000 and counting! All proceeds benefit Preble Street Food Programs, which provides nearly 1,000,000 meals each year to Mainers experiencing food insecurity and hunger.
If you missed this year’s event, listen to some of the interviews here.
This year, hosts Kelly Towle from Coast 93.1, Courtney Ross from 101.9 WPOR, and Joe Lerman from 101.9 WPOR volunteered in the kitchen at the Preble Street Food Security Hub. For five hours, they broadcast live from the Food Security Hub and helped to prepare both breakfast and lunch.
“You know how much we believe in the mission of Preble Street, and that passion drives Neighbors in Need,” shares Phil Zachary, Portland Media Group President and Market Manager. “Extraordinary things happen when you touch the hearts of human beings, and no medium does that better than radio. It’s humbling to see hundreds of Mainers—each, I’m sure, with their own challenges this holiday season—step up on behalf of those less fortunate simply because our personalities ask them to. “
“I want to give a BIG THANK YOU to Portland Media Group and 93.1, 98.9, and 101.9 for their incredible support over the years,” says Preble Street Executive Director, Mark Swann. “This annual fundraiser will help Preble Street provide tens of thousands of meals this year AND raised awareness and educated people about how hunger, homelessness, and poverty impact so many people in our community. We appreciate the partnership that we have built over the years.”
The Preble Street Food Security Hub is currently under construction and once complete, it will be able to produce up to 10,000 meals per day and store up to 50,000 frozen meals for statewide emergencies and natural disasters.
This annual fundraiser began as the Stuff the Bus food drive, hosted by Rewind 100.9 and focused on food donations that filled several school buses every year, bringing in almost 2 million pounds of food to Preble Street in over a decade.
The 2024 Neighbors in Need fundraiser was made possible by sponsors Katahdin Trust Company, Hardy Wolf & Downing, 207 Roofers, and Haven’s Candies.
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