County auditor's office volunteer food drive a success

These county employees conducted a free-will, kid-oriented food drive in May. Pictured are (from left) Karla Cornick, Angie Paytes, Sara Doty, Chandra Bliesener, Cheryl McVey, Shane McCampbell and Sue Poling. The drive was run by the county auditor's staff, entirely at employee expense. Drive driver Doty said the variety of donations was impressive, and her department plans to repeat their efforts next May. (Photo submitted)

The impromptu Des Moines County Auditor's Annual Summer Food Drive was so successful they plan to have it next year, and it may well bloom into an annual, auditor Sara Doty said after the month-long drive concluded last week on June 1.

"A huge thank you to the community for the support of our food drive," Doty said. "This is something I’d like to continue to do annually in the month of May for the kids before summer starts."

THE DRIVE

County Auditor Sara Doty announced in May her department's decision to conduct their own food drive to supplement Community Action.

"Community Action is in desperate need for food at their food drives, so we are going to put on a food drive here at the office," Doty said then. "We’re going to use our own personal funds. We’re not using any county funds with this, but I wanted to open it up to the public or any other office at the courthouse."

Anyone in the county could participate and drop off contributions at her office in the courthouse.

"A lot of it is for children over the summer so they can make their own," Doty said.

"They call those kid-friendly meals," Des Moines County supervisor Shane McCampbell said. "Stuff that they don't need parents around; they can eat it right out of the box."

McCampbell said that one of the big issues over the summer, when school is out, is that kids who are used to getting fed at school will break into buildings to find something to eat.

"We’re trying to keep a divider between people who are trying to get into trouble and people who are just hungry," McCampbell said.

THE BOUNTY

Doty said approximately 15 to 20 boxes of food and seven grocery sacks of food were donated.

"I didn't get a count of everything, but we had a lot of cereal, Pop Tarts, ravioli, pudding, macaroni, fruit cups, canned fruits and veggies, ramen noodles, summer sausage, tuna, popcorn, chips, fruit snacks, and juice," Doty said without taking a breath, "and much more."

She said the variety of donations was impressive, and one party even dropped off cash, so Doty and Payroll 1st Deputy Sue Poling went shopping for them.

"They weren't sure what to get kids for easy meals, or just wanted to donate to the cause but didn't have the time to go shopping and bring everything down to the office," Doty said.

The food was delivered to Community Action after the workweek. Doty said it required one trip, and McCampbell and a sidekick were there to do the heavy lifting.

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