Moses Lake food drive collects record amounts
Cameron Probert/ Columbia Basin HeraldScott Campbell, the vice presient of planning and development for Samaritan Healthcare stands behind a full grocery cart of donations. He said people donated more than 600 turkeys during the weekend and this has been one of the best years ever.
MOSES LAKE - Samaritan Healthcare received 687 turkeys and more than 6,300 pounds of other food as part of their food drive last weekend.
This year, they received 334 more turkeys than last year, according to Connie Opheikens, Samaritan's community relations coordinator. They also received $2,775, an increase of $1,735 more than last year. This was a record amount of turkeys and cash donated since the food drive started in 2001.
Opheikens said Safeway discounted the turkeys to 27 cents per pound, which probably contributed to how many turkeys they received.
"It was amazing," she said. "They actually ran out of those turkeys … We were kind of worried with the economy being the way it is, but our community just dug deep into those pockets."
One woman donated 16 turkeys, according to Samaritan. Another person purchased 20 turkeys and then purchased another 20 turkeys an hour later.
"We had a lot of good encouragement from the community," Opheikens said. "We appreciate the people of the community donating."
About 46 employees collected turkeys and pre-packed bags of food in the lobby of Safeway in Moses Lake this weekend. They received more than 6,300 pounds of canned food and other food items. These were packed in paper bags near the check out lanes.
There was an about 1,200 pound drop in the amount of canned goods this year. Opheikens said she wasn't sure why. They did run out of pre-packed bags on Friday. The bags contained items such as canned meat, vegetables and pumpkin filling.
"We actually bagged more this year," she said. "It seemed like we brought in a lot more than the year before."
Along with individuals, several businesses donated food and money. These included:
- Moses Lake Christian Academy which donated 10 turkeys and $75
- National Frozen Foods which donated 26 turkey
- Men's Club at Hearthstone Inn which donated 20 turkeys
- Vista Quick Stop donated $500
- The Inland Northwest Blood Center collected 126 pounds of canned goods.
The food drive was sponsored by the Columbia Basin Herald, KDRM and KBSN radio stations, Safeway Food and Drug and Signs Now.