Members of the Wieblos Boy Scout Troop 516, Wyatt Jones (pictured), 9, and Cole Jones, 6, volunteer to sort food with Berea College students at the annual Hunger Hurts Food Drive on Sat.
(Photo: Crystal Wylie ’05)
The Berea community responded generously to the 26th annual Hunger Hurts Food Drive with 792 bags of food. Coordinated by Berea College’s Center for Excellence in Learning through Service (CELTS), in collaboration with Berea Faith Community Outreach (BFCO), the food collection netted more than 100 bags of food than last year.
More than 700,000—or one in six—Kentuckians struggle with food insecurity, and each week 53,400 Kentuckians receive food from a food bank. For 26 years, residents of Berea have responded to these needs.
(Photo: Crystal Wylie ’05)
Volunteers began distributing brown paper bags, donated by Richmond Kroger, to households within the Berea city limits during the last week of October. Community members participated by filling the bags with non-perishable food and toiletry items. Then, volunteers picked them up and delivered them to the Berea Community Food Bank, located on Parkway Avenue.
Berea College alumni volunteers in the Cincinnati, Knoxville, Lexington and Louisville areas also donated food at participating organizations for the College’s first Berea Day of Service, which coincided with the annual Hunger Hurts Food Drive. Results from those four locations are pending.
The Berea Community Food Bank and Bereans United for Utility and Rent Relief (BUURR) serve more than 1,000 families who access their services annually. In addition to the Hunger Hurts Food Drive, many individuals, churches, schools, businesses and organizations contribute food and money to the food bank throughout the year.
Residents of southern Madison County who have an emergency food need or would like to request assistance from the BUURR program can call 859-985-1903 for more information.