Seeing the momentum behind the Duluth Cheerio Challenge, Project Joy stepped up on Wednesday and donated $20,000 to area organizations that help feed the hungry.

The money was split equally between the Salvation Army, Damiano Center Kids Kitchen, Chum, and the Union Gospel Mission. Leaders are very grateful, citing higher demand and higher cost of food.

Laura Plys, founder and coordinator of Project Joy, said they had heard about the comment made about Duluth being a small-minded community, and wanted to prove that wrong. “When this came out, and it was decided to turn a negative into a positive, we thought it was a great way to tag on top of that. Plus we had just finished our biggest fundraising event of the year, House of Hearts,” she told us.

Deb Roach, a Project Joy volunteer, added, “Duluth has citizens who respond to people in need, and we thought this was a great way to jump on board and make it even better.”

You can still donate Cheerios to the Labor Temple through Friday afternoon. https://www.wdio.com/front-page/top-stories/duluth-cheerio-challenge-underway-to-help-support-food-shelves/

March is Minnesota FoodShare month, which means donations can be doubled.

Project Joy is a non-profit formed in honor of Duluth Hall of Famer Patrick Plys. The mission is to end childhood hunger.