Yule Feed Families At A Glance

• ORIGIN: Started in 1991 by two Rotarians at the Lake Country Reporter newspaper in Hartland, publisher Gary Jasiek and Scott Peterson, the Yule Feed Families food drive was conceived as a way of giving back to the community. In 1993, the Hartland-Lake Country Rotary Club agreed to join Yule Feed Families. In 2017, after ownership at the newspaper changed, the club took over the drive exclusively. Peterson and Jasiek agreed to resume chairmanship of the drive starting in 2023.

• IMPACT: The Yule Feed Families food drive in Lake Country has collected $989,883.41 in cash plus 44,286 grocery items as of 2022.  In addition, Yule Feed Families spinoff efforts at sister newspapers in Mukwonago, Oconomowoc and Sussex collected for those community respective pantries (before changes at the newspaper ended those drives) elevated the grand total as of 2022 to $1,165,642.14 and 44,286 in groceries as of 2022.

• BENEFICIARIES: The drive began by benefiting four pantries, Hartland, Pewaukee, North Lake and Kettle Moraine. Several years later, St. Vincent de Paul in Hartland was named as a fifth beneficiary, and the five remain to this day.

• HOW IT WORKS: Each year, starting right after Thanksgiving and ending right before Christmas, Yule Feed Families is held. In  2023, the drive runs Nov. 17 to Dec. 22. Originally the newspaper matched donations at a rate of 70 cents on the dollar and 40 cents for each grocery item, up to a maximum of $2,000 per year. When Rotary joined, it did the same and has continued to donate$2,000 per year, in addition to taking over the drive itself.  Because it is run by volunteers, 100% of donations go right to the pantries and thus the hungry families of the Lake Country area.

• HOW TO HELP: Donations can be handled many ways. Checks can be made out to the Rotary club’s partner 501(c)3 organization, Lake Country Foundation, or the pantry of your choice. (For tax purposes, do not make out checks to Yule Feed Families.) Payment online can be done through our PayPal account below.

Grocery donations can be dropped off during the drive at North Shore Middle School in the Hartland-Delafield area during school hours. (Please, no perishable items, as we don’t have the facilities to handle them.)