Kiwanis Club Annual Food Drive Begins   January 28, 2020 Dear Editor, AlleghanyJournal.com: The Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis Club is once again reaching out to the community for support of the Annual Community Food Drive. Our local food pantries are in great need of help to replenish their shelves emptied from the holiday season so they may continue to feed many people in the community during one of the toughest times of the year. From February 1 through March 1, the Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis Club is asking churches, civic groups, schools, local businesses and individuals to donate food or funds during the Community Food Drive. All proceeds remain in our community and will be divided equally among the four largest feeding programs in our area - C.O.P.E Food Pantry, Clifton Forge Food Pantry, Salvation Army Food Pantry and South Covington Methodist Church Food Pantry. Each year the community has supported our call for help by donating tons of food and thousands of dollars. The support given year after year has truly been appreciated by those struggling with hunger in our community. With steady unemployment numbers and families struggling to survive, the need for food assistance continues to increase. Not only have food assistance needs increased over the past year, many food pantry agencies report seeing “new faces” at their soup kitchens, food pantries, and children’s programs. The food pantries continue to distribute more than one million pounds of food every month to keep up with this growing need. With your help, more can be done to combat hunger in our community. According to the area food pantry representatives, there continues to be an increase in requests for food, with a large percentage being senior citizens and those homebound with disabilities. Like other locations in the state, the Alleghany Highlands is no exception and continues to struggle with the securement of jobs and increased need for food support. The cost of day-to-day needs continues to increase which leaves citizens continuing to need support from the community to fund programs that continue to grow and strain budgets more and more. The Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis Community Food Drive allows everyone the opportunity to become involved and support local families struggling with hunger in the Alleghany Highlands. Your help and support make a huge difference. Donations can be dropped off at the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce Office, Highlands Community Bank in Covington, AmeriCare Plus and SonaBank in Clifton Forge. If you are unable to drop your donation by one of the listed locations, please contact (540)969-6764 or reach out to other Kiwanis members to arrange a pick up. Monetary donations can be made out to the Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis Club and can be mailed to P. O. Box 902, Covington, VA 24426. Those battling hunger in our area need you and you have proven year after year, you CAN make a difference. Please donate to the Community Food Drive and help those in need in the Alleghany Highlands today. Sincerely, Pam Warren Food Drive Chair Susan Knick Food Drive Assistant Chair

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