GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Meijer LPGA Classic is one month away! The annual event raises money and donations for Simply Give, benefitting food pantries across West Michigan.
On Wednesday, Meijer kicked off the effort by donating 10,000 pounds of food to North Kent Collect.
A donation of that size will provide 8,200 meals to people in need, and organizers say the community is in need now more than ever before.
"Right now, North Kent Connect is seeing a 40% increase over the need that they saw last year. And so I think there are a lot of families that are struggling trying to make ends meet and meet those budgetary needs," said Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes. "And so to have food pantries like this, or the many that we support across the Midwest, over 400 food pantries that Meijer supports, it's really meaningful to us and to all our team members."
Last year, the Meijer LPGA Classic raised nearly $2.5 million for food pantries. They're hoping to beat that number this year.
"You bring the best golfers in the world together and you bring the community together and to be able to make a difference for those in need is something that's really rewarding," Keyes said.
The tournament kicks off on June 15. You can still get tickets for just $10. To learn more or get your ticket, click here.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.