Day of Service Food Drive helps feed Peninsula hungry
Food and financial donations to equal 10,000 meals. That’s the total for the four-hour in-person Day of Service food drive hosted by Sheriff Gabe Morgan.
But counting online donations that came in throughout the day, the drive brought in 5,362 pounds of food and $2,576.25! That equates to 12,197 meals to feed children and adults who are at risk for hunger during the year.
“When you think about Martin Luther King and you think about what he wanted for America and the world, the day of service is a way to honor him,” Sheriff Morgan told 13News Now.
The Newport News Sheriff’s Office was a big contributor to the 7th annual event. The NNSO held a competition to see which shift/section would donate the most food (by weight). In all, Team NNSO donated 1,812 pounds of food. $200 was given, too. The foodbank says each dollar will triple the impact because the agency can use its buying power directly with vendors. Capt. Gross and Deputy Ross delivered the boxes of food to the foodbank during the Monday food drive and Sheriff Morgan was there to accept them.
Sheriff Morgan thanks everyone who donated and the dozens of volunteers who helped collect, sort and bag up or box up the donations. Those included members of the Newport News Police Department and Chief Steve Drew, who support the Day of Service event each year, Riverside Regional Medical Center, Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Lambda Psi Military Spouses Sorority, Alpha Phi Alpha, employees of NASA Langley Research Center, and so many other organizations, individuals, and families.
We hope to beat this year’s total during the Dr. King holiday food drive on January 15, 2024.
Click here to learn how you can support the mission of the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank throughout the year to help residents of the Greater Peninsula beat hunger insecurity.