Longview Regional Medical Center’s Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive Collects 1,764 Jars of Peanut Butter for Longview Community Ministries

4/2/2024

LONGVIEW, TEXAS (April 2, 2024)– In honor of National Peanut Butter and Jelly day, April 2, Longview Regional Medical Center hosted their second annual Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive. This year’s drive was an inspiring display of community support and generosity, as Longview Regional Medical Center alongside members of the East Texas community successfully donated 1,764 jars of peanut butter to Longview Community Ministries.

"This campaign goes beyond the physical donation of food; each person who took time to donate peanut butter embodies a spirit of kindness, empathy, and community responsibility that defines our community here in East Texas," said Steve Gordon, chief executive officer of Longview Regional Medical Center.

According to Longview Community Ministries Executive Director Kristi Buckrell “peanut butter is a staple in our monthly food box because it packs a ton of nutrition, it is convenient and has a long shelf life.” She continued adding “peanut butter is one of the more expensive items we purchase from East Texas Food Bank to fill our monthly food box. We spend on average $1,000 monthly purchasing peanut butter and run out in three weeks.”

The Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive was launched to help support individuals who are facing food insecurity, which is a social determinant of health.

Longview Community Ministries continues to see an increase in food boxes distributed each month. "Longview Community Ministries distributed 1,426 boxes of food in February, which is up 55% from February 2023,” said Buckrell. “Longview Community Ministries is grateful to have community partners like Longview Regional Medical Center step up to help fight food insecurity in our community,” said Buckrell.

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