Dear Friends of Yule Feed Families:

Many of us take stock during the holidays, for the good fortune that we have. We have so many blessings to be thankful for, but some of our neighbors struggle to make ends meet.

For 34 years, Yule Feed Families has worked to help the hungry in our community, raising funds over the holidays to assist local food pantries reach out to families in need. Five pantries benefit from this annual drive, which is now exclusively run by Hartland-Lake Country Rotary Club: North Lake, Hartland, Pewaukee, Kettle Moraine and St. Vincent DePaul (based in Hartland).

Last year, your generosity helped us raise almost $35,000 and lifted total giving, since the drive began, to $1.02 million. We could not have done it without you!

This year, the need is undiminished. We are striving to raise $40,000. That’s ambitious, but the Lake Country community has never failed to come through for Yule Feed Families over the decades.

Back in 1991, two Rotarians working at what was then the Lake Country Reporter, publisher Gary Jasiek and editor Scott Peterson, began the drive using the newspaper as a way of getting the word out. A few years later, their Rotary Club joined the effort. After a short hiatus, both of us Rotarians are again leading the effort to help the community serve those in need.

Through the Yule Feed Families’ program, the club matches 70 cents for every $1 donated up to a cap of $2,000 in total. Cash donations help the pantries cover grocery costs at times of year when giving lets up. It also helps pantries provide for perishables (meat, produce, milk, etc.) and other necessities that many people don’t think about (toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, etc.)

The 2024 drive runs from the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) to Dec. 31, and giving is easy.  Checks can be made out to the club’s 501(c)3 partner organization, Lake Country Foundation, (or, if you prefer, make it out directly to the individual pantry of your choice) and mailed to PO Box 406, Hartland, WI 53029. You can also make a donation through the QR code at the right of this letter. Additionally, food donations can be dropped off at North Shore Middle School, 800 North Shore Dr., Hartland, during school hours for the duration of the drive. If you need more information, visit the Lake Country Rotary web site and click on the Yule Feed Families link at the top of the page: www.lakecountryrotary.org.

Thank you in advance for caring at this time, the most wonderful time of the year.

Scott Peterson and Gary Jasiek

Yule Feed Families Co-Chairmen