For the past two decades, Ludington’s annual Lake Jump has been an example of the way Ludington comes together as a community with love and support for each other in times of need to enrich the lives of all. This year’s Lake Jump will be no exception — though due to safety concerns during the pandemic, it has been reimagined. During the month of May, community members are encouraged to “Jump Where You Are” to support Lakeshore Food 4 Kids.
Lakeshore Food 4 Kids provides weekend food bags for students in the Ludington Area School District who are experiencing food insecurity. Since schools closed on March 16, LF4K has become more essential than ever, safely delivering weekly bags of food for 80 families in the Ludington area each Friday. Just $150 provides weekend food for one child for an entire school year.
Here’s how it will work — those wishing to participate can do it in a number of ways:
JUMP WHERE YOU ARE:
All you need is a body of water and maybe a costume! Register to jump by following the link at The Ludington Lake Jump Facebook page. Sometime during the month of May, take a video of yourself or your family jumping in for a good cause. Get creative! Bodies of water could include a kiddie pool or slip n slide in your backyard, a garden hose, buckets of water (remember the ice bucket challenge?) or actual swimming pools at home. Jumpers would ask for pledges from friends and family and can submit all participation materials through the event link at The Ludington Lake Jump Facebook page. Each participant is encouraged to set a goal of raising a minimum of $150 — the amount it takes to feed a child for a year. Use social media to challenge others to get involved and join in the fun!
All jumps should be posted to The Ludington Lake Jump Facebook page as well as your own social media pages with the hashtag #lakejump2020.
PLEDGE TO SUPPORT OTHER JUMPERS:
Sponsor your favorite jumpers by making a pledge. It’s easy to contribute electronically by following the link at The Ludington Lake Jump Facebook page. Be sure to name the jumper you are pledging there, as prizes will be offered for the jumpers who raise the most money.
GET THE WORD OUT:
Help spread the word by sharing jumps that you see on social media and including the hashtag #lakejump2020.
With the full support of the community, the reimagined Lake Jump 2020 is sure to be the biggest one yet! With a matching grant up to $10,000 from Pennies from Heaven, your pledges could be doubled, feeding even more children in the coming years. Lakeshore Food 4 Kids hopes to raise the funds needed to support a K-12 program for the next five years. This we know for sure — when kids’ basic needs are met, they are more able to learn, leading to greater success and an ability to contribute to their communities later in life. With the entire community coming together to jump where you are, students in grades K-12 will be assured for years to come that they will have the food necessary to thrive in and beyond the classroom.
To learn more about how you can jump in to help, please visit The Ludington Lake Jump on Facebook.
Contact:
Sara Ewing, lakeshorefood4kids@gmail.com.