After a beautiful Memorial Day last month, the evening sky brought dangerous storms. The National Weather Service reported several tornadoes touched down in several Dayton area neighborhoods causing catastrophic damage. Homes and businesses were destroyed, and now these Ohioans are working to rebuild their lives and get back to the day to day that we all enjoy.
As the devastation struck, the Cash Explosion Facing Hunger Campaign was wrapping up.The campaign runs from November to May, and is powered by the generous donations from Cash Explosion fans who attend the show's tapings each month. This year's campaign generated more than two tons of food. When it came time to designate a food bank to receive the non-perishable food collected, it was clear that this year's Facing Hunger collection should go to the Dayton area for disaster relief.
Today, Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald along with members of the Ohio Lottery team delivered the 7,500 pounds of food to The Foodbank, Inc. in Dayton.
“Having grown up in the Dayton region, specifically Trotwood, the news of the storms and the resulting damage really hit home for me,” Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald said, “The Facing Hunger Campaign has helped us reach families in need in our state for eight years, and after the news of the devastation in the Dayton area, we knew this year’s donation needed to be made here. We’re grateful to our Cash Explosion fans for their generous contributions year after year. They made this donation possible today.”
According to the Foodbank, the donation will be enough to provide more than 6,000 meals to people in its service area which includes Montgomery, Greene and Preble Counties.
“The Foodbank is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support coming from the Ohio Lottery in response to the recent tornado devastation. Many areas of the Miami Valley were hit particularly hard by the storms and we know that it will take some time for families, especially those who were already living in poverty, to rebuild. Support from the Ohio Lottery will provide thousands of meals for local families in need during this crisis,” Foodbank CEO Michelle L. Riley said.
Since its kick off in 2011, the Facing Hunger Campaign has collected and donated more than 23 tons of food to food banks across Ohio. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine cheered the donation and the generosity of Ohioans.
“Ohioans are extremely generous, which is demonstrated by the fact that this food was donated before the 21 tornadoes even touched down,” said Governor DeWine. “For years, the Ohio Lottery has been dedicated to ending hunger in Ohio, and I’m happy that this year’s donation will be directed to the Miami Valley to help citizens as they work to recover from last week’s violent storms.”