Food Bank drives to help needy families
Canned food donations stacked up high at the food drive. $9,000 was raised and approximately 1,800 pounds of food was donated.
Earl Summers, board member for the Greater Washington County Food Bank, smiles with the generous amount of canned food donations behind him at The Great American Food Drive Tractor Pull at the Washington County Fairgrounds on Friday evening. The food drive brought $9,000 and 1,800 pounds of food to the table.
Sam Magill of Butler County drives his truck “Predator IV” on Friday evening in the 3rd annual Great American Food Drive Tractor Pull at the Washington County Fairgrounds. Magill’s truck almost made it to the finish before breaking down.
Despite an hour rain delay, fans of The Great American Food Drive Tractor Pull stuck out through the rainy weather to enjoy the rest of the tractor pull at the Washington Fairgrounds on Friday evening, June 19.
A spectator waits out the rain delay at this year’s Great American Food Drive Tractor Pull at the Washington Fairgrounds on Friday evening.
A couple watches as the first half of The Great American Food Drive Tractor Pull begins at the Washington Fairgrounds on Friday evening, June 19. Proceeds and food donations at the tractor pull were donated to the Greater Washington County Food Bank, supporting 37 pantries in the county.
One of the trucks in the professional tractor pull that kicked off the Greater Washington County Food Bank’s Great American Food Drive was aptly named “Gitter Done.”
Because with the help of the Washington County community, the food bank got it done Friday, surpassing its goal of collecting 50,000 pounds of food for its 38 circle pantries.
Organizers said the food bank collected about 72,000 pounds of food and more than $9,000 in cash donations at the third annual food drive, held at the Washington County Fairgrounds. The food bank will use 100 percent of the monetary donations to purchase food at local supermarkets for those in need of emergency food assistance.
“We’ve gotten a lot of support from churches and businesses, and an enormous amount of support from individual donors,” said Dr. Sally Mounts, a member of the food bank’s board of directors. “This event benefits the people of Washington County in immeasurable ways. When you see the faces of people who know that they’re going to have enough to eat this month because of the food bank, you really understand how much benefit the food bank provides to the community.”
The event kicked off with a fully sanctioned pro series tractor pull organized by Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League and Power Pulling Productions, followed by a concert by country singer Chris Higbee and a fireworks display sponsored by The Meadows Racetrack & Casino.
The food drive also included a “Pallet of Food Challenge,” where churches and other groups held a food drive before the event and delivered the collected food to the fairgrounds. The total did not include the food collected by two large local companies, which will be dropped off next week and add to the total amount of food donated.
Volunteers worked throughout the night to transport and pack the food.
The food bank feeds more than 4,700 families in Washington County every month.
It is in the process of building a new distribution center that will include a larger refrigeration area as well as a kitchen and amenities that will enable the space to be used as a warming shelter.
“The people eligible for food pantries is on the rise. We now have three times more people eligible than what we had 10 years ago,” said Mounts, who wouldn’t be surprised if the number increases. “We’re continuing to feed the poor and the working poor of Washington County.”