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In honor of this day, The Lake County Office of Education’s AmeriCorps program, in coordination with the Lake County Hunger Task Force, Lake Transit Authority, a number of local businesses, schools and community volunteers held Lake County’s 10th annual Make-A-Difference Day nonperishable food drive for our county’s food cupboards.
The goal was simple: collect enough non-perishable foods to “Stuff-a-Bus.”
AmeriCorps members and community volunteers spent most of Saturday, Oct. 23, doing just that as they collected food outside local businesses around Lake County in the cold, wet weather.
“I’m overwhelmed by the community support we received,” said AmeriCorps Director Rob Young. “It takes the strength of a community to get through tough times like these.”
AmeriCorps and community volunteers raised over 7,000 pounds of food in 2010, more than doubled the amount from the 2009 drive.
The county's food cupboards were very excited to hear the amount as there is such a high demand for food assistance this year, a problem made worse by the bad economy.
To top the day off, AmeriCorps and community volunteers brought all donated food to the main staging area, located at Grocery Outlet in Lakeport, where a 30-foot Lake Transit Authority bus was waiting to be filled.
“We weren’t sure if we would collect enough food to actually stuff the bus, but when the bus rolled out of the parking lot I heard jokes about how we turned it into a low rider,” Young said. “It obviously had a full load.”
Over the past 10 years, AmeriCorps has collected over 36,000 pounds of nonperishable foods for Lake County’s food cupboards.
This would not be possible without support from local businesses and volunteers like Red and White in Clearlake Oaks, Hardester’s Market in Cobb and Middletown, Grocery Outlet in Lakeport and Clearlake, Bruno's Foods in Lakeport, Safeway in Lakeport and Clearlake, Sentry Market in Nice, Riviera Market, the Upper Lake Community Council, Highway Grocery in Upper Lake, Lower Lake Elementary School, Cobb Elementary School, Kelseyville Rotary Club, Lake Transit Authority, Lake County Office of Education, Lake County Hunger Task Force, Upper Lake Girl Scouts, Lou Denny, Arlene Moore, Lorrie Gray and all our AmeriCorps and community volunteers.
AmeriCorps thanked its partners for helping to get things done for Lake County.
AmeriCorps, along with www.1-800-volunteer.org, provides many other volunteer opportunities. Learn more at www.lakecountyamericorps.org or give call 707-279-1269.
