Area Development Districts in Kentucky are working with local government agencies and Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes office to ensure that families in the state don’t go hungry.
Jennifer Walker, executive director for the Purchase Area Development District, said Grimes had launched the first-ever Commonwealth Bowl, a food drive competition among the state’s 15 development offices. Walker said offices were working with local governments in their respective districts to collect non-perishable food items or money. Items and money collected will be brought to the PADD, which serves as the local Kentucky Association of Food Banks office, in Mayfield to be weighed, tallied and counted and then distributed among food pantries in the communities from which it they were collected.
So local food stays local, Walker said.
“We opened it to every county and city that wanted to participate,” Walker said. “So, most all of our cities, of course, said yes, and so they have a food box in their city hall and courthouse. The Secretary of State, Alison Lundergan Grimes, brought this to us and said, ‘Would you all participate and have a friendly competition among the 15 regions of the state?’ … In the Purchase, the ADD happens to be the food bank. We’re the only ADD that is the food bank in the state, so of course we said yes immediately, and then the other 14 joined in. A friendly competition, we are all extremely competitive, so I think friendly is almost in parentheses.
“All of the funds and the food that comes from a community will stay in that community,” she added. “So, whatever’s raised in Benton will stay in Benton; whatever’s raised in Calvert City will stay in Calvert City. … That was key.”
About 20 offices in the Purchase area have stepped up to help in the need, setting out collection points to allow residents to donate. Marshall County is no exception. Walker said Calvert City and Benton have collection points located in their respective city halls, and Marshall County has a collection point at the old courthouse in Benton.
Statewide, the goal is to collect about 400,000 pounds of food and $50,000 for the cause.
“The reason we picked that 50 is because this is the 50th year, the anniversary, of the state enabling legislation that created area development districts,” Walker said. “… And I’ll tell you this, as of last Friday, the Purchase was winning.”
Benton Mayor Rita Dotson said the city had collected a few items as of Friday, and she expected those numbers to grow as residents came into city hall to pay monthly bills. Dotson said residents who wished may bring monetary donations to the location, as well.
“They can give it to Jackie, and we’ll keep an envelope behind the desk,” Dotson said. “… I would just hope that the community would come out and support this and make everybody that’s needy a little bit better holiday. Because this will probably go toward Thanksgiving and Christmas, they’ll probably stretch it out. So, you know, it could make a lot of families’ holidays a little bit easier.”
Residents may also donate money online. Walker said patrons can visit the Kentucky Association for Food Banks online, and select the donate option. Donors can follow the prompts to indicate to which community the money should be attributed.
“You can donate … $1 is 8 pounds of food,” Walker said. “So we get more bang for our buck with bucks, and that’s because the state association – it’s an economy to scale thing – they can buy a lot more for us when they get that money in bulk.”
Donations will be collected through Friday, Oct. 26.
For more information, visit helpfeedky.com.