Generosity Continues To Shine With Food-A-Bago

With 2020 throwing rocks at us from everywhere we look, I wondered just how it would affect our annual Food-A-Bago food drive to assist families through Broome County CHOW (Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse.)

2019 was a banner year for non-perishable food and monetary donations. The shopping cart challenge was a huge generator of food donations from area businesses and organizations challenging each other. That combined with the strength of our listeners contributions made 2019 the most successful year in terms of donations.

We like to remind everyone that it's not a competition. One item of food or one dollar is just as important as a grocery cart full of food or 100 dollars. Every donation counts the same as every vote counts.

On this Day Four (Thursday), I am so impressed with where we are at with food and monetary donations. I was worried with our decision to pause the grocery cart challenge, with the aim to keep everyone safe, providing social distancing when meeting people who stop by to donate, that the donations would be very low this year.

Well, that's not the case so far. I remember years where we only had a fraction of the amount of food and monetary donations that we have now to help assist families in Broome County. And throw in the fact that it's a stressful time with election week, we are blessed that it has not deterred people from stopping  by to donate. But we still have lots of room to fill with food in the CHOW truck parked next to our travel trailer.

When I think how many meals can be put together with the food donated so far along with the monetary donations in which Broome County CHOW can put together five meals with just one dollar, it gives me such a great feeling from the generosity of people in our community.

We will continue to accept your donations through 9 a.m. Monday November 9th. We are in a Winnebago travel trailer from Oliver's Campers in the parking lot of the Weis Food Market, 1290 Upper Front Street. You can't miss us. We're the only camper in the parking lot!

And thanks so much for your generosity helping Broome County families in need during this pandemic.

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