From local arms of big companies to small hometown businesses, the Westerville area’s holiday food drive always unites the community.
The drive, coordinated by the Rotary Clubs of Westerville in support of the Westerville Area Resource Ministry, this year runs Nov. 29 through Dec. 5.
For the 11th year, local businesses, community leaders and Westerville residents fill bags donated by area Kroger stores with food and personal items such as diapers and shampoo for those in need in the Westerville City School District. Last year, 24 tons of food was donated – a major increase to what WARM sees during the average month.
On Dec. 5, volunteers will collect the food bags from doorsteps, businesses and community organizations. This holiday season, WARM has made a special request for healthful foods.
“This year we want to encourage healthful things – perhaps things that aren’t high in sodium or aren’t highly processed,” says Deb Wallace, manager for programs and projects for WARM. “We don’t want to take any fresh or frozen items, obviously, but we want to encourage healthful choices because our clients often face medical issues, and we don’t want to give them any food that’s going to aggravate their health.”
This year, Wallace expects Kroger will distribute roughly 12,000 bags across the Westerville community.
“The one thing that strikes me is that WARM is so blessed to have the collaboration all across Westerville, from the civic organizations to businesses to the schoolchildren and just individuals,” she says. “It takes the coordinated effort of all those to eradicate hunger in Westerville.”
More than one in three children in the school district, at times, go hungry, Wallace says.
“It’s kind of a rallying point for the holiday spirit and for concern for neighbors as the weather gets cold,” she says. “(The food drive is) truly a community-wide effort.”
Allen’s Coin Shop supports the drive by putting out a box for donations in the lobby.
“Everyone has troubles, but there’s always someone who has more troubles than you, so it’s important to take care of those who need help,” says Allen’s associate Michelle Hessler. “I think that we all feel blessed to be employed, to have the necessities of life, so it’s very easy for us to share with those who are less fortunate.”
Sue Shields, owner of Yogi’s Hoagies, uses the shop’s iconic tall sign facing the street each year to advertise for the food drive.
“We’re such a small business that it costs us a lot of money to stay in business,” Shields says. “This is something that we can do. … It gives people who don’t have a lot of money an opportunity to do something for somebody.”
Sonny D’Andrea of Dairy Queen has been helping the Westerville community for more than 35 years. He began collecting donations for Paul’s Pantry at the old St. Paul’s church, but began supporting WARM’s holiday food drive during its first year. D’Andrea and his wife, Rose, keep a canister at the Dairy Queen drive-through window for donations each year.
During the holidays, “people get warm and fuzzy, and I think that warm and fuzzies are better with a full stomach, so that’s what we try to do,” D’Andrea says. “It’s the warm and fuzzies (WARM) creates, and that’s the reason we stay involved.”
Amanda DePerro is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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