Volunteers help pack food donations collected through March of the Mayors food drive

Volunteers gathered at the Lyman Community Center this morning to pack up donations from this month’s March of the Mayors Food Drive.

For the past four weeks, 11 mayors have asked people in their cities to donate food. Those four weeks have led up to this massive packing party, where volunteers are filling boxes up for food pantries. Mayor Billy Hewes said, “Our main moral charge is to take care of those less fortunate than ourselves. There are families and children and people across this Coast that, believe it or not, as good as things are, there are folks in need and this helps lighten the load.”

The Coast was able to pack over 2,500 boxes. Over 7,000 have been packed across the state.

Hundreds of families will be fed because of these donations. It shows the impact communities can have when they work together to end hunger.

People worked in an assembly line to pack up hundreds of boxes, which will be picked up by 14 food pantries along the Coast.

This event was created by Extra Table, a nonprofit that helps stock the shelves in food pantries and soup kitchens. Extra Table Executive Director Martha Allen said, “The really cool thing about today is, you know, with inflation, the price of food has gone up. So, for us to be blessed with almost twice as much food as last year, that’s a testament to the strength of the Coast and the strength of the leadership in the mayors, and all those that care about providing food to the hungry.”

If you missed out, it’s never too late to donate to your local food pantry.