14th annual Fill the Dome food drive looks different amid the pandemic

Donations will be accepted through December 17th

FARGO, N.D. — This time of year, the FargoDome is usually filled with thousands of pounds of food donations to be given to struggling families.

With the coronavirus still rampant, the Dome will remain empty this year, but the donations will continue to come in.

The holiday season is a time for giving back, and the need for generosity is even bigger amid the pandemic.

“Food banks in the Fargo-Moorhead area, especially the Great Plains Food bank, have been hit extra hard,” says Lydia Mattern, a senior at Shanley High School.

Mattern is one of the students from across Fargo-Moorhead volunteering to lead this year’s Fill the Dome event.

She says, “It makes me think of sports, like how we have rivalries, but at the end of the day, we can all be together and come together and do this and just help and give back.”

Although the volunteers won’t be coming together at the FargoDome this year, their goal of giving back remains the same.

Schools are independently collecting donations, which will be picked up directly by the Great Plains Food Bank, as well as hosting virtual food drives.

Those at the food bank say more and more families are struggling with hunger as the pandemic continues.

“Just since March, we’ve distributed an additional three million meals,” says Great Plains Food Bank Communications Manager Jared Slinde.

Slinde says with COVID not going anywhere, food and monetary donations are crucial to helping local families.

“Fill the Dome is a crucial piece of what we do, especially toward the end, and it’s always been an important event for us, and whatever the kids are able to collect and bring in is going to do a lot of good in a tough time for a lot of people,” he adds.

Donations will be accepted through December 17th.

To donate to a virtual food drive, click here.

For more information, visit this link.