LCA Finds Community Supportive Of Its Food Drive For CCS
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Lakeland Christian Academy collected approximately 11,000 pounds of food for Combined Community Services in the spring. After moving its annual food drive to the fall, LCA collected another 11,793.5 pounds Wednesday. Carmen Flores, LCA guidance counselor and teacher, said they will probably get several hundred more pounds of donations with people calling to report their bags didn’t get picked up. Several monetary donations also were made, including a check for $200. “I’m very, very pleased with that number,” Flores said. “The community continues to respond to this food drive.” Peggi Lisenbee-Wright, CCS director of client assistance, said that since CCS was blessed to be able to become a healthy choices food pantry, they’ve seen a growth in the number of families seeking help. The down economy also contributed to that growth, she added. CCS has seen an average of 95 additional families per month come in for help. LCA’s decision to move its food drive from the spring to the fall was an answer to a prayer, Lisenbee-Wright said. She recalled that she had gone in her office and told God that CCS used to shop for groceries and it would last a month, but that now the same amount of food lasts a week. When she went home, she was checking on Facebook when she saw a message from Flores telling her that LCA had decided to have its sixth annual food drive in the fall. “It came at just a great time,” Lisenbee-Wright said. The support from the community is such a blessing, she said. Two box trucks helped deliver the donated non-perishable food items to CCS Wednesday. The trucks were provided by Reinholt Town Square Furniture and Brouwer’s Carpet and Furniture. “We’re so thankful for Owen’s. They donated all the grocery bags and saved banana boxes for us for two weeks. Walmart also saved banana boxes for us,” said Flores. Once the trucks delivered the boxes and bags to CCS, LCA students sorted the food stuff by category, reboxed it and put it away in the CCS food pantry. Student Christopher Silveus said there are about 20 fewer students LCA this year than last year, but the student body still collected a lot of food. He said the food drive was especially important because it will help CCS through the fall. “I think that we are at least at the same level as we were last year,” student Julianne Haines said after the first truck dropped off its load. “We’re getting full tables. I think the next truck will help. I’m praying for lots more.” The first truck had about 4,000 pounds of food in it. Carter Twombly said the food drive was “just really important. It helps the community. I think it’s important because God calls us to serve the community and this is important to do.” “It’s really important because it helps the community, people who can’t help themselves,” stated student Matt McQuade. “It helps CCS provide to people who are going hungry.” Having participated in the food drive for three years, McQuade said he thinks donations have increased every year because more and more people are finding out about it. And people who donate one year remember to do it the next year. “It’s kind of a feeling of accomplishment that we’ve done something. Of course, all glory goes to God. We’re not doing it for ourselves, but for the glory of God,” McQuade concluded.
