The Shadow
Dear Community,
The Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis Club is once again reaching out to the community for support of the annual Community Food Drive. The COPE Food Pantry, South Covington Methodist Church Food Pantry, Clifton Forge Food Pantry and Salvation Army Food Pantry are in need of help to replenish their shelves from the holiday season and feed many people in the community during one of the toughest times of the year.
Each year the community has supported our call for help by donating tons of food and thousands of dollars. The support given year after year has truly been appreciated by those struggling with hunger in our community.
With steady unemployment numbers and families struggling to survive, the need for food assistance continues to increase.
As reported last year when starting our efforts, not only have food assistance needs increased over the past year, many food bank agencies report seeing “new faces” at their soup kitchens, food pantries and children’s programs.
The food banks continue to distribute more than one million pounds of food every month to keep up with this growing need. With your help, more can be done to combat hunger in this region.
Like other locations in the state, the Alleghany High-lands is no exception and continues to struggle with the securement of jobs and increased need for food support. As of November 2018, Alleghany County’s unemployment rate stands at 3.3 percent, while the city of Covington is at 3.5 percent and does not include those who are experiencing long-term unemployment.
The Community Food Drive allows you the opportunity to become involved and support local families struggling with hunger in the Alleghany Highlands. Your help and support can make a difference.
According to the area food pantry representatives, there continues to be an increase in requests for food from last year to present, with a large percentage being senior citizens and those homebound with disabilities.
Even though unemployment in the area has seemingly improved, the cost of day-to-day needs continues to increase which leaves citizens continuing to need support from the community to fund their programs that continues to grow and strain their budgets more and more.
From Feb. 1 through March 1, the Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis Club is asking all churches, civic groups, schools, local businesses and individuals to donate food or funds during the Community Food Drive. All proceeds will be divided equally among the four largest feeding programs in our area — COPE Food Pantry, Clifton Forge Food Pantry, Salvation Army Food Pantry and South Covington Methodist Church Food Pantry.
Donations can be dropped off at the Alleghany High-lands Chamber of Commerce Office or Highlands Community Bank in Covington and SonaBank in Clifton Forge.
If unable to drop your donation, please contact me at (540) 968-2350 or reach out to other Kiwanis members to arrange a pick up. Monetary donations can be made out to the Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis Club and can be mailed to P.O. Box 902, Covington, Va. 24426.
Those battling hunger in our area need you and you have proven year after year, you CAN make a difference. Please donate to the Community Food Drive and help those in need in the Alleghany Highlands today.
Sincerely,
Schuyler L. Fury – Food Drive Chair Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis Club
