The “Keep Families Fed” food drive, spearheaded by Virden Dodge and Valleyview Co-op, accepted donations of money and non-perishable food throughout November in support of the Virden & Area Food Cupboard. The campaign has now wrapped up and last Friday afternoon staff from both businesses unloaded two pickup trucks filled with paper bags of food at the Virden Baptist Church, where it will be sorted and become part of hampers distributed to those in need.
Virden Dodge Accounting Clerk Shelby Swanson is a key organizer of “Keep families Fed”, which debuted in 2021. On the last day, she issued a challenge via radio and social media to other Virden businesses to match the company's $500 donation. Virden Recreation & Water Sports and A. Wilson Auto Body accepted, while Valleyview Co-op gave $1,500 to the cause. Other contributions came from dealership customers.
Swanson expressed appreciation to those who purchased “Good Buy Hunger” bags for $20 apiece at the Virden Co-op grocery store or stopped by the dealership or the Twin Valley Co-op grocery store in Elkhorn to help out.
“This is the second year for the food drive, and the turnout was amazing compared to last year,” she said. “Last year we had 265 bags and $2,400 in donations, while this year we are at 360 bags and $3,335 in donations.”
Swanson said the food drive is a cooperative effort of the management and staff of both the Co-op and Virden Dodge to give back to the community.
“We try to get the whole team involved,” she said of her co-workers, several of whom came out to lend a hand with the drop-off on an unseasonably warm late fall day. “Everyone chips in to load the bags in and out of the showroom and unload them when we drop them off to the food cupboard.”
Plans are to continue the food drive in November of 2023 as long as the need is there.
“We'd like to do it every year.”
