INSTITUTE, W.Va. — Representatives from 12 food pantries in Kanawha and Putnam counties will collect food donations Saturday at the United Food Operation warehouse in Institute to distribute to families in need this winter.
“They’ll be a line up here of representatives from those food pantries. They’ll come in trucks, vans, whatever means to pick up the food and transport it back to their food pantries,” said Elaine Harris, chair of United Food Operation.
The UFO, all-volunteer organization, held it’s 35th annual kick off event at its warehouse Friday morning. Each winter season the organization collects food donations.
Harris said there is a big need.
“You go into communities, you see people that, by no fault of their own they’ve either lost a job or it’s an elderly person that’s having to make a decision between medicine or whether they pay a utility bill,” she said. “That part of it — we’re hoping we play an integral part during the winter months.”
Helping those that are less fortunate is what the UFO has remained committed to do over the last 35 years, Harris said.
“We see stress in our day to day jobs and this is just a good way, a good feeling of giving back and totally volunteering to help those others,” she said.
The 2017 food distribution program will run through April 1.
Last year, over 32,000 people benefited from the food UFO provided from January to April.