Albany Rotary Club, Feeding the Valley Food Bank joins forces for Thanksgiving food drive

ALBANY, Ga. – With only a week before Thanksgiving, the Albany Rotary Club is partnering with the Dougherty county branch of Feeding the Valley Food Bank to help pack boxes of food.

Feeding the Valley President, Frank Sheppard says with only seven days to go, they appreciate the help they’re getting from the members of the Rotary Club.

“It’s a time of year when the need escalates. It’s already high, there’s a lot of post-pandemic factors that go into that. But, this time of year, we try to help a lot more people who are less fortunate, and be able to have a thanksgiving meal. So, we try to get more food out in the community, so families can have a meal together when they’re suffering from food insecurity,” said Frank Sheppard, President/CEO, Feeding the Valley Food Bank.

And, Albany’s Rotary Club was joined by a special guest Thursday…

As Rotary Club District Governor, Andre Marria lent a hand to the Albany chapter, which exemplifies the values of the club.

“Rotary is about giving back. It’s about making sure that communities have what they need. And, the Albany Rotary Club is doing that today. And, by serving in this capacity of packing boxes, we’re actually helping families. We’re actually helping children. We’re actually making a difference in the community…” said Andre Marria, District Governor, Rotary Club.

In fact, the work that the Rotary Club did Thursday helped make a major difference in putting together nearly four thousand boxes to be sent out over the next week.

“Volunteers amount to about 40 thousand hours to us each year. That’s like having 20 more additional employees. That’s the community reaching out to us, and helping, and it’s what we need to keep our overhead low, keep our costs low, and help as many people as possible,” said Sheppard.

And, being able to make a difference for that many families this holiday season means a lot to the Rotary Club.

“…Four thousand people are going to be served with these meals, and you see here people who are giving back. That nobody is left behind these holidays that we know about,” said Marria.

While the Rotary Club is doing their part to make sure that underserved families are getting a proper Thanksgiving dinner, Feeding the Valley is still welcoming all volunteers.

If you are interested in volunteering with Feeding the Valley to help pack and deliver boxes this holiday season, you can visit their website, https://feedingthevalley.org/volunteer/

Brian Roche reporting.

Copyright 2023 CBS 44 South Georgia. All rights reserved.