On May 2, members of the community gathered for a drive through food drive benefiting Allen Community Outreach(ACO). Many people participated in the drive, including members of the National Charity League (NCL) and their families.
“ACO is one of the philanthropies [NCL] supports and serves,” NCL member and parent Amy Smith said. “We reached out to our neighborhood and collected donations to deliver for the ACO summer food program.”
The drive encouraged the community to donate various canned goods and non-perishable items. Those who participated collected these goods and donated them to the organization.
“I collected food for the drive and they had a specific list I followed,” junior Taryn Sutherlin said. “The proceeds are going to help children throughout the summer, so I got stuff like peanut butter, jelly, and soup along with essential items like shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Community members collected food in different ways, whether it was through an organization like NCL, through neighborhoods, or reaching out to other members of the community.
“I collected and donated over 160 items from a list that the ACO provided,” sophomore Addison Wimbish said. “I was able to do this by asking members of the Lovejoy Band to drop off anything they’d like to donate at my house.”
Some participants of the drive believe the times of the coronavirus provide an opportunity to give back and donate food.
“I think any drive or donations are needed right now,” Sutherlin said. “There are so many people who have lost their jobs during this time, and many families who need all the support they can get.”
With the similar motives to help, participants were able to help the community around them in time of need.
“It is always important to support and contribute, but during this season of hardship it is even more critical to support those who are vulnerable,” Smith said. “We love and value our ‘neighbors’ and want to support however and wherever we can. We are so grateful to all of our neighborhood for being so gracious and giving without hesitation.”
