Holiday bounty

Supplied [Marion County government]

Boxes and bags filled with donations of food were stacked high on Friday, Dec. 2, on tables at the Ocala downtown square. As the donors dropped off their items, there was a good chance they would have their photo taken by Karla Grimsley-Greenway, president/CEO of Interfaith Emergency Services, and posted on social media.

She even enticed more donations for the annual Bring The Harvest Home food drive by posting photos of freshly-baked cookies, which were provided courtesy of the Magnolia Bakery, and were being given to those whose generosity led to more than 20,000 pounds of food being collected.

“Bring The Harvest Home is such a special event every year for our pantry. Not only does it restock our shelves, it inspires a lot of other people throughout the community to keep giving throughout the month. It always feels like it’s just the start of a very generous giving season. We appreciate the county commission for making this an Ocala tradition,” Grimsley-Greenway said.

The collection event was the culmination of several weeks of public agencies, businesses and individuals collecting donations. The food will be given to local pantries, along with more than $17,000 to be split between the benefitting nonprofits: Brother’s Keeper, Interfaith Emergency Services and the Salvation Army.

A news release from the Marion County Board of County Commissioners thanked “all of those who helped with the event and/or donated their time, including our Marion County departments, as well as Marion County Public Schools, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Ocala Municipal Government, the Ocala Police Department, Marion County Fire Rescue, Ocala Fire Rescue, Florida Highway Patrol, 93.7 K COUNTRY, Marion County Clerk of Court and Comptroller, Marion County Supervisor of Elections, Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership, Marion County Animal Services and many, many more.

To learn more, go to marionfl.org/our-county/bring-the-harvest-home