Bring(ing) the Harvest Home
The annual drive will help local families in need.
The nonprofit Brother’s Keeper, Interfaith Emergency Services, The Salvation Army and Veterans Helping Veterans organizations got a helping hand on Dec. 5 through the annual Bring the Harvest Home drive.
This year’s event collected more than 30,339 pounds of food, all of which was given to local pantries, along with more than $34,950 to be split between the benefitting nonprofits.
For the past month, public agencies, businesses and individuals have teamed up to collect donations for Marion County families in need. This local push has become a tradition in Marion County due in large part to the help and guidance of Commissioner Kathy Bryant, according to a news release from the county.
On Friday, vehicles large and small drove into the collection area to drop off boxes, bags and pallets of donations.
Interfaith Emergency Services Executive Director Karla Greenway, as she has been doing for several years, kept a running monologue going on social media to thank those who were participating.
“Nothing lifts my spirits more than the Bring the Harvest Home event every year. And every year, I wonder if people will still participate,” Greenway said via text message after the drive.
“This year more food was donated than ever before! And it makes me so happy not just for Interfaith, but for the other three agencies that I know rely on this food donation as well,” she added.
The Marion County community has come together annually for more than 15 years to Bring the Harvest Home with donations collected at fire stations, law enforcement offices, government buildings and public libraries.
To learn more, go to marionfl.org/our-county/bring-the-harvest-home
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