SILVER BAY, Minn.– North Shore Federal Credit Union has issued a challenge to its members as part of National Food Shelf Month. The credit union has launched the North Shore Hunger Hero Initiative as part of the effort.
"It's really pretty straightforward," the CU’s president, Mark Summers, told local media. "We're asking our credit union members to enroll in an automatic monthly deduction, with the proceeds going to benefit primarily two hunger prevention programs in our membership area."
Donations directly benefit the Backpack Food Program and local food shelves in Lake and Cooke Counties.
Summers said there is no required donation amount. Members can sign up at any NSFCU location for the monthly deduction from their account.
"It can be as little as a dollar," he said. "We've had people commit to 25 dollars or more already."
NSFCU has been involved in hunger prevention programs for years.
"I think a lot of people think that hunger is a problem elsewhere in the United States," Summers said. "We've just become more and more aware that it's a problem at home, and we decided to use this as an opportunity to kick-start the program and take our contributions to another level."
The credit union’s goal is to enroll 1,000 credit union members by the end of the year. Summers said North Shore will also match all donations up to $5,000 through March.