The Huntsville-area community has done it again.
On. Dec. 1, first responders and volunteers collected 41,500 pounds of non-perishable food for the 33rd annual Project Porchlight in support of the Salvation Army’s food bank.
“A big thank you to everyone involved in collecting the food and those who donated!” said the Huntsville Lake of Bays Fire Department on its Instagram account. “Such a great way to support our community members in need during this time of year.”
The Salvation Army’s Major Neil Evenden, who has been a Salvation Army officer for 36 years, moved to Huntsville last year. In a conversation with Doppler following this year’s food drive he said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in as big a single-night event as this one… It’s just marvelous. This will keep us going into the summer as far as the non-perishable side of things.”
Project Porchlight began when the Salvation Army approached former chief, Ross Payne, to see if he’d be interested in partnering for a food drive. Payne had the idea to go door-to-door to collect donations. It brings together firefighters, paramedics, police officers, community organizations, and the larger Huntsville-area community all with a collective goal: to support those less fortunate.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted how the initiative is run—donations were collected from porches and the ends of drive-ways instead of at the door, and fewer volunteers were able to come together to sort the items—it hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm of those involved.
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I was impressed that a local business came and collected ours (Clement Aluminum) and even had their truck decorated with Christmas lights. A reminder that anyone can help with the collection not just first responders! Thanks for donating your time!
It’s great that they collected some much for such a worthwhile cause. It’s to bad that our street has been missed for two years now after we have left stuff out on our front porch along with some of our neighbors.
Amazing! Wonderful! Thank you to all who organized and volunteered. Food insecurity continues to be a concern for many.