It's Spooky to be Hungry celebrated its most successful year at the official weigh-in Friday at Golden Harvest Food Bank.
The annual Halloween-themed food drive saw more than 1,200 volunteers collect 46,230 pounds of food and $24,280 for Golden Harvest.
"I'm overwhelmed at the success of this," said Evelyn Browne, the founder and organizer of It's Spooky to be Hungry. "With the economy in the shape that it's in, for people to have given so much of themselves to help their hungry neighbors is exciting and encouraging. The generosity of this community and our volunteers truly overwhelms me."
It's Spooky to be Hungry - one of Golden Harvest's largest annual food drives - took place in more than 90 neighborhoods in Columbia, Richmond and Aiken counties last Saturday. Volunteers trudged from home to home, pulling little red wagons and asking their neighbors for food or monetary donations for the starving and needy.
The eighth annual food drive and fund-raiser is a grass-roots, volunteer effort to raise food and community support for the fight against hunger. Last year's food drive collected about 35,000 pounds of food and more than $18,000 to help fill Golden Harvest's warehouse at 3310 Commerce Drive in Augusta.
|
|
In front of barrels of donated food, Evelyn Browne, the founder of It's Spooky to be Hungry, announces that 46,230 pounds of food has been collected for the Golden Harvest Food Bank.
JIM BLAYLOCK/STAFF |
In recognition of It's Spooky to be Hungry's success, the Dannon Co. added $10,000 in Mrs. Browne's name to the $24,280 already raised by the food drive. Mrs. Browne and her family were the grand prize winners of Dannon's national search for the Families Feeding America campaign.
A representative from Dannon presented the check to Golden Harvest at the weigh-in.
Reach Donnie Fetter at (706) 868-1222, Ext. 109, or ccchron@augustachronicle.com.
Overcast, 57 ° Humidity: 93%
Have a thought? Go to the 
