BRATTLEBORO — Project Feed the Thousands kicks of its 26th annual campaign against hunger in the community on Friday, Nov. 1, with WTSA broadcasting live from Brattleboro's Market 32 (formerly Price Chopper).
Project Feed the Thousands is a community-wide food drive and will be collecting cash and nonperishable food items through the end of the year.
WTSA staff will be joined by Project Feed committee members and area food shelf representatives from 7 to 9 a.m., and hope community members will stop by to learn about this year's campaign and the ways in which they can help.
Project Feed the Thousands was first launched in 1994 by Larry Smith, then of WTSA Radio, and George Haynes, former president of Brattleboro Savings & Loan.
“Project Feed the Thousands is not only this region's largest community food drive,” said Project co-chair Kelli Corbeil, owner of WTSA Radio. “Its mission impacts more individuals in this area than any other organization that I can think of. More than 2,000 families in our area are facing hunger, and one in four children will go to bed hungry tonight.”
Corbeil said Market 32, Hannaford, the Brattleboro Food Co-op, and numerous other businesses will serve as collection points during the campaign.
“We're broadcasting from Market 32 - and will broadcast from other grocery stores during the campaign - for obvious reasons,” she said. “We want to make donating as easy as possible. We want people to pick up an extra item or two every single time they shop - just one or two - and we want them to donate these items to someone in need by dropping them in the Project Feed collection bin found inside of the store. It couldn't be easier!”
“The community goal this year is to raise $85,000 in cash, as well as to collect enough non-perishable food items for 250,000 meals,” said Jeff Morse, Project co-chair and president and CEO of River Valley Credit Union. “Hunger continues to be an unfortunate reality for many in our community.”
Morse encourages people to give monetarily whenever they can.
“We can best utilize cash contributions by using them to make purchases through the Vermont Food Bank. Their extraordinary buying power enables us to maximize every dollar collected, and parlay it into even more food for those in our community in need.”
“We are all busy - especially as the holiday season approaches,” said Haynes. “So it's easy to forget that many of our neighbors are struggling to make ends meet, pay their fuel bills, and put food on the table. But in fact, thousands of local people are at risk of hunger. We have received tremendous support from individuals, businesses, churches, and schools in the past, but this year's goal is ambitious and achieving it will be challenging. We need everyone's help.”
Project Feed the Thousands has nourished countless individuals and families with food and supplies to alleviate the most basic human need of having enough food to put on the table for each meal. The food and supplies distributed through this campaign include peanut butter, canned fruits and vegetables, high-protein canned tuna and chicken, soup and crackers, pasta and sauces, breakfast cereal, and juice.
This year, donations of nonperishable food items to these food shelves will go to Foodworks Food Shelf, St. Brigid's Kitchen, and Loaves & Fishes Community Kitchen, all in Brattleboro; Guilford Food Pantry; Bread of Life Food Pantry in Vernon; Hinsdale Food Pantry; Our Place Drop In Center in Bellows Falls; Putney Food Shelf; and Townshend Community Food Shelf.