Local dealership kicks off holiday food drive

This year’s Feed the Hungry campaign is kicking off sooner than usual — and is looking for more donations than ever to accomplish its goal.

Now in its fifth iteration, organizers with C. Wimberley Automotive Group have set their sights on raising $20,000 for this year’s holiday food drive. Dowagiac businesses and residents alike are encouraged to donate, with the funds going toward a number of local churches’ food pantries.

Last year, the dealership managed to collect $15,000, a large portion of which was donated to ACTION Ministry Networks. The money was used in conjunction with a grant program with Feeding America, with volunteers distributing thousands of pounds of canned goods and produce to residents throughout the year from mobile food pantries brought into the city by the national organization.

“Our goal this year is even higher, due to the grant program,” said Jim Allen, the main organizer of the Feed the Hungry campaign. “It allows us to buy a lot more food than we previously could.”

By reaching their $20,000 goal, Allen estimates that they will be able to provide around 20,000 pounds of food for local pantries.

As in previous years, the entire pool of donated funds will go toward purchasing food, with the dealership fronting the bill for transportation and other expenses.

“Every dollar spent stays here in Cass County, pretty much,” said owner Chuck Wimberley.

The annual collect-a-than usually begins around Thanksgiving and runs up to the week before Christmas. The brainchild of employee Dale Dandurand, Allen has spent the last several years running the program on a volunteer basis, visiting local businesses to encourage donations.

“Jim is one of the big reasons this thing has been successful,” Wimberley said. “Anytime you volunteer your time for something like this, it comes back to you tenfold.”

The business owner himself offered up the first donation for this year’s drive, and has commitments from several friends and associates, he said. The drive is one way that his business is giving back to the community that it calls home.

Creative Vinyl will again be donating stickers with the logos of businesses that contribute to the food drive, which will be placed on the two vehicles used to promote this year’s program.

People interested in donating to this year’s event can do so by leaving a donation at the Ford dealership located on M-51 or at 1st Source Bank, located on Front Street. For more information, contact Allen at 269-779-1691.

“The Christmas holiday can be trying time of year for a lot of people,” Wimberley said. “If you’re more fortunate, it’s an awful good feeling to be able to give something back.”