GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - Heartland United Way held their annual Dine United event where participating restaurants will donate a portion of their sales to local shelters.

 

Food pantries and shelters in Hall, Howard, Hamilton, Merrick county will be receiving funds from tonight.

 

Hope Harbor in Grand Island, for example, uses the money to fill their shelves.

 

“We are a 104 bed facility, 78 of those beds need food every day so it's essential to fill our pantry up with the things we need to keep our families and women healthy,” Hope Harbor Marketing Coordinator Renae Swanson said.

 

In the past, United Way has gotten about $5,000 from the Dine United event.

 

“The current statistics are about 8500 in Hall, Hamilton, Howard, and Merrick counties are food insecure so it is present here in our neck of the woods but we are doing all we can to really decrease that and give everyone a hot healthy meal,” United Way Director of Community Engagement Cammie Benson said.

 

The money helps stock food pantries just in time for Thanksgiving. United Way says they will have more events later this year for the holidays.