Time is almost up for donations to be made to the Holiday Food Pantry Drive.

For almost three weeks, The Daily Leader and Bank of Brookhaven have been collecting money for local food pantries.

Because food insecurity is a persistent problem, especially during the winter holidays, the newspaper and bank have been working together for the holiday drive for 16 years.

Since then, the drive has raised tens of thousands in funds, which is then split between various area food pantry organizations. This year, there are three — St. Francis of Assisi/St. Vincent de Paul, the Greater Hope Foundation and Bethel AME.

Until 5 p.m. Friday, donations will be accepted at both The Daily Leader and Bank of Brookhaven. Checks can be made out to Holiday Food Pantry. Donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, MS 39602. They’ll also be accepted at the newspaper office front desk.

Donors for the Holiday Food Pantry Drive have the option of donating in honor or memory of someone, anonymously, as a business or as an individual. The contributors’ names — unless requesting anonymity — and gift are publicized in the newspaper as they come in. A grand total of donations will be printed in each issue.

Like the summer months, the need for food increases during the holidays. Many families rely on school breakfast and lunch for their children, and as children are released for Christmas break, those families have emergency food needs that local food pantries can serve.

Contributions to the Holiday Food Pantry also can be mailed to the bank, given to bank cashiers or donated through the drive-through windows.