The first year the Knights of Columbus held its 24-hour food drive, they actually did it for 24 straight hours – in March.
Turns out there aren’t a lot of people donating non-perishable food items at 3 a.m., so they kept the 24-hour format last year, but decided to span it over the course of two 12-hour shifts.
“It was my bright idea to have it around the clock,” said Grand Knight Chuck McGee. “Then we moved it to 12-hour days instead.”
It worked as the food drive for the St. John’s Food Pantry collected more than 4,000 pounds of food and another $2,000 in donations.
The goal is to make this year’s event the best one yet, and that’s where all of you come in.
On Saturday and Sunday, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, the Knights, along with volunteers from the food pantry and the Concord Lions Club, will be stationed at the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 180 Loudon Road with an 18-wheeler that everyone is hoping will be stuffed to the gills by the end of Sunday.
“We get a pretty steady stream of folks through the days,” McGee said.
And it doesn’t matter how much you have to donate, any little bit will go a long way to helping feed those in need.
“We get folks who bring a sack of potatoes and others that bring half a car load,” McGee said.
Because you see, between all the food drives during the holiday season, food pantries have a lot of items stockpiled for the beginning of the year. But right around now, there’s a definite need to bring in more.
“The spring is a little more challenging for the food pantry,” McGee said.
And as long as its non-perishable food items, the Knights will take it. So things like pasta, soups, canned fruits and vegetables, cereals, tuna, rice, oatmeal, peanut butter can most definitely be dropped off to give to the pantry.
They will also accept items like paper towels and toilet paper, diapers and formula.
If you’re wondering if something will be accepted, bring it down with the rest of your items and someone will help you.
And if you don’t have items to donate or time to shop for some, they will gladly take monetary donations as well.
“Every last dime and all the food goes to the pantry,” McGee said.
As a thank you and just to create a fun atmosphere, the Knights will have music playing and a grill going with burgers and hotdogs.
They weigh the items as they come in and tally up the numbers at the end. The hope is to surpass last year’s total.
There’s also quite a bit of sorting going on throughout the two days.
Now we know this is too last minute for you to put together a work food drive to contribute, but you can still help.
Just skip that six-pack of beer this week and put it toward the cause.
