Meijer, Kouts Police Department, United Way of Porter County partner to provide meals to families in need

Buy Us A Coffee
United Way and Meijer
Meijer Valparaiso Store Manager Sandra Patrick, left, helps Kouts Police Chief James Smith and Kouts patrol officer Lindsey Ditchcreek load food to benefit needy families in Kouts. (Photo provided by United Way of Porter County)

Some families in Kouts enjoyed a Thanksgiving Day meal thanks to Meijer in Valparaiso, the Kouts Police Department and United Way of Porter County.

Meijer awarded the Kouts Police Department $1,500, which went toward purchases of food to assist families in need in Kouts. United Way of Porter County facilitated the partnership between the Kouts Police Department and Meijer of Valparaiso.

On Nov. 19, James Smith, Kouts police chief, and Lindsey Ditchcreek, a police officer with the department, went shopping at Meijer with United Way of Porter County staff to buy the food for the Thanksgiving Day meals.

“This is our first year to be able to do a program like this, and I am amazed at how much food we were able to buy with our gift cards for these families,” said Smith. “We are providing 15 full meals complete with all of the sides, extra desserts for the kids, and lots of extra trimmings. The staff at Meijer was incredibly helpful and shopped with us to be sure we were able to get everything on our list.”

Author

  • Larry Avila
    Larry is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years of experience working with daily newspapers and business-to-business publications around the Midwest. Avila is a Michigan native and a graduate of Central Michigan University.
    View all posts
Scroll to Top