For many, the holiday season means food, presents, and family. But there are some in our community who have a difficult time putting food on the table or families who are unable to buy gifts for their children. The South Bend Cubs want to help those families with a Holiday Food and Toy Drive.

Running through Dec. 15, the South Bend Cubs are accepting food and toy donations at the Cubs Den Team Store. For every non-perishable food item (canned or bag) or new, unopened toy donated, you will receive one ticket voucher that can be exchanged for a field box ticket to a South Bend Cubs game on April 10, April 23, or April 24.

“This is a time of year that some can take for granted,” said South Bend Cubs Assistant General Manager for Marketing and Media Chris Hagstrom-Jones. “There are nearly 500 children in the foster system just in St. Joseph County alone who may not receive a gift this season. There are also a number of families who rely on school lunches and other food programs during the year that pause during the holiday break. We want to encourage people to give back this holiday season by providing free tickets to select Cubs games.”

All food collected will be donated to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana and all toys collected will be donated to CASA of St. Joseph County. Vouchers will be given at time of donation at the Cubs Den Team Store. Those vouchers can be exchanged once single game tickets become available in March. The Cubs Den Team Store is open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

For food donations, the Food Bank of Northern Indiana accepts non-perishable food donations. For a list of items in need and items that cannot be accepted, click here. For the toy drive, The CASA Program will accept donations of new, unwrapped toys, books, games, clothes, personal items and even luggage. Click here to see their Amazon Wishlist.