Next Tuesday, November 14, the Carter County Kiwanis Club will help pack more than 30,000 meals to benefit hungry families across Carter County and eastern Kentucky.
This is the second year the club will hold their food pantry drive, and they’re looking for volunteers.
Event organizer Willis Johnson grew emotional last year when discussing the impact the program had on the families who benefited from the meals, and the goodwill it brought to those who participated in packing and loading the meals.
Those beneficiaries include every elementary school student in Carter County, who have the opportunity to receive food to take home from the program through the Backpack Programs at each of the school resource centers.
Food pantries in Carter, Boyd, Morgan, and Greenup Counties also received donations from the program (the club partnered with Kiwanis clubs in those and other communities to make the project a reality).
But Willis said participating in the program also served as a huge blessing to him and the other participants.
Last year they received help from athletes at Kentucky Christian University, who helped load the prepared boxes of food into trucks for distribution at the end of the night. They also had a huge response from the community as a whole, though they can always use more folks to help pack meal kits.
This year they’re hoping to get at least 140 volunteers to help with the packing, and club volunteer tables are available for folks who want to work with an existing group.
Those who wish to register in advance, or have any questions, can contact Johnson at (606) 255-6359.
Or they can simply show up and sign in between 5:30 and 6:00 on the night of the event.
The packing will once again take place at the Veterans Bingo Parlor, at 501 Carol Malone Boulevard, in Grayson. (In the Woods Brothers Shopping Center.)
It’s a worthwhile cause, and one we don’t think you’ll regret volunteering for.
It’s a dark, cold war out there right now. Let’s all do our part to spread a little light and warmth.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com