Evelyn Browne thinks her absence will prompt her brainchild to grow up.
Mrs. Browne, the founder of the It's Spooky to be Hungry food drive, recently moved to Minneapolis, where her husband, retired U.S. Army Col. Bill Browne, took a job as the program director of the Department of Internal Medicine with the University of Minnesota Medical School.
"It's my baby. I feel like I'm sending it off to college," Mrs. Browne said of the volunteer food drive she began in 1992. "While I'll miss it, it's time for it to have some new experiences and learn new things."
To better handle the enormity of the drive and help compensate for her absence, Golden Harvest Food Bank will become a more active partner.
Golden Harvest Development Manager Vikki Adkins will act as this year's CSRA chapter coordinator for the drive.
The food bank will provide logistical support, such as allocating storage space for promotional materials, bookkeeping and serving as the central office for volunteer recruitment.
"We're strengthening our partnership to ensure the continued success of the Spooky," Ms. Adkins said.
Ms. Browne and Ms. Adkins said the entities will remain separate and, though they complement each other, will maintain two different missions.
Spooky wants to strengthen community bonds and promote volunteerism with the food drive, Mrs. Browne said.
Golden Harvest wants to end hunger in the area, Ms. Adkins said.
"We're really very proud of our involvement with Spooky," Ms. Adkins said.
"It's amazing to have all these volunteers using their heart and hands and head to better their neighborhoods while making a difference," she said.
Though Mrs. Browne is decreasing her local involvement with Spooky, she remains the president and chief executive officer of Big Changes Start Small Inc., the parent nonprofit organization of the food drive.
Last year, Mrs. Browne helped organize nine other Spooky chapters in cities around the Southeast.
She said she'll continue to help create new chapters across the United States.
Reach Donnie Fetter at (706) 868-1222, ext. 113, or donnie.fetter@augustachronicle.com.
TO VOLUNTEER
It's Spooky to be Hungry, an annual Halloween-themed food drive to benefit Golden Harvest Food Bank, will be held Oct. 28. Anyone interested in volunteering should call Golden Harvest at (706) 736-1199, ext. 229.
Last year, 2,600 volunteers in more than 100 area neighborhoods brought in more than 99,000 pounds of food and about $55,000.
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