Cris Moore-Lucier, right, founder of Kindness Rocks U.P. Michigan, stands with his husband, Tyler, and bags of donated food items prepared for Lil Mo's Food Pantry.

ESCANABA — Kindness Rocks U.P. Michigan conducted its second-annual Stock the Lil Mo’s Food Pantry food drive.

This year, Kindness Rocks partnered with the Daily Press in hopes of bringing more opportunities to fill the pantry with much-needed supplies. It paid off, organizers said.

Through a huge team effort, the organization was able to fill 50 reusable bags with an assortment of food, including: peanut butter, jelly, pancake mix, syrup, mac and cheese, snack crackers, granola bars, fruit snacks, pudding cups and Jell-o cups. The 50 bags were split between Webster and Lemmer schools. Staff at both schools were especially happy to see the delivery of the bags and look forward to distributing them to children in need.

Cris Lucier-Moore, the founder of Kindness Rocks, said, “It all started when a little boy told me that he couldn’t have a birthday party because his mom told him they didn’t have enough money. It broke my heart to hear that. Almost immediately after that, I saw a post that the Lil Mo’s Food Pantry needed supplies and I came up with the idea of having businesses and community members purchase a donation bag to help supply them with quality food items. The idea took off.”

Kindness Rocks U.P. Michigan thanks Nyman’s Jewelry; Crawford Funeral Homes; the Daily Press; Kevin Went, who donates in honor of his mother Betty Miller, who was a teacher for many years at Lemmer; and the community for their constant and continued support.