Light show, food drive highlights of event
By Angie Landsverk
This year’s Handcuff Hunger will include more lights and an expanded community impact.
The third annual event will be held from 4-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, in Weyauwega.
The light show and food drive will take place at 507 E. Ann St., across from Weyauwega-Fremont High School.
“We added over 15,000 (lights) this year so we have around 50,000 lights this year. It will run from dusk until 9 p.m. every night from the seventh (of December) moving forward. We just recently added three more houses in the neighborhood. We will have at least six houses side by side connected to the light show,” said Weyauwega Police Officer Justin Malueg.
The city’s police officers organize the event.
The light show will be synchronized to music and broadcast via radio station 107.7 FM from Saturday, Dec. 7 through New Year’s.
The Dec. 7 kickoff of this year’s light show will coincide with Weyauwega’s holiday parade, which begins at 5:30 p.m. that day.
Those who attend Handcuff Hunger on Dec. 14 may drop off monetary donations and nonperishable food items at the event.
Donations will again benefit Weymont Food Pantry, which serves families in the Weyauwega-Fremont School District.
Two other causes to benefit
“We are planning on donating some of our proceeds to the Weyauwega-Fremont School District to create a food pantry there for students who are in need,” Malueg said. “We recently determined that there is a need for this and want to help out the best we can.”
Malueg said they also plan to donate some of the money they collect to the scholarship fund that has been started in memory of Taylor Folk.
Folk passed away on Aug. 30 of complications from surgery. She would have been a senior at W-F High School.
Malueg said their goal is to raise $1,000 in monetary donations and collect at least 1,000 pounds of food.
Santa Claus will be at Handcuff Hunger from 5-6 p.m., with goodie bags for children.
They hope carolers stop by as well.
People may also drop off monetary donations and nonperishable food items at Weyauwega’s municipal building through Dec. 15.
“We are doing the food drive because we want to show the community that we are there for them in and out of the uniform,” Malueg said. “We know and understand that some people struggle financially, especially around Christmas time, so we want to help out the best that we can. We are all about helping the community members in which we serve.”