Community responds during food drive

Green Valley and Sahuarita residents responded generously to help in the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, leaving boxes and bags of non-perishable food items at their mailboxes.

U.S. Postal Service letter carriers were busy last Saturday, unloading their trucks at the Community Food Bank.

Warehouse supervisor Mike Averre unloaded five bins collected from the Town of Sahuarita post office; each was filled to the brim with boxes of cereal and pasta, cans of beans, vegetables, fruit, tuna and meat along with everyday items like soap, detergent and toilet tissue. Food Bank volunteer Pat Young said when full, each bin weighs an average of 800 pounds.

As of Friday, Branch Manager Mary Jane Goodrick said, the Food Bank had received 28,280 pounds in food donations and $27,190 in monetary donations and the shelves were much better stocked than last week.

This year’s goal was 30,000 pounds of non-perishables and $30,000 in cash or checks.

“We are still receiving food and dollars that are earmarked for the Letter Carrier’s Food Drive, so we’re hopeful that we’ll come close to meeting our goal by the end of the month.” Goodrick said.

“We are grateful to the entire community, our volunteers and of course the Green Valley Letter Carriers and the Sahuarita Rural Carriers for making this year’s food drive a huge success,” Goodrick said, adding that since they are seeing a 60 percent increase of families in need over last year the results of this food drive will make a difference in helping meet local needs.

In another recent campaign, where the Feinstein Foundation challenged food banks nationwide to raise funds and food donations between March 1 and April 30, the Community Food Bank received $68,048.29 in cash and checks and $126,968 in food items for a total of $195,016.29. This was through the generosity of 1,491 donors.

The value of food items is based on $1 per item per pound.

The Community Food Bank has participated in the Feinstein Foundation challenge annually since 2001.

Goodrick called the results very worthwhile and said, “The community embraces the challenge annually.”

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.