Non-Profits Collect Food, Money during Holiday Food Drive

by Jonathan Weaver

The Armstrong County Courthouse was closed Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – banks, too – but that didn’t stop a team of local leaders from celebrating his memory.

For the fifth year, local AmeriCorps volunteers, coordinated by Crooked Creek Watershed Association - a member of the Appalachian Coal Country Team and the Armstrong Conservation District – ran a food drive in Armstrong County as part of MLK Day of Service.

Kelly Cossey, an OSM/VISTA with the Appalachia Coal Country Team, represented the volunteers by collecting non-perishable food and cash donations at the Franklin Village Shop `n Save in Kittanning.

Cossey can regularly be found at the Crooked Creek Watershed Association and Evergreen Conservancy in Indiana, Pa. It was her first food drive.

“We’ve been very successful. It’s great to see people come in – they’re so generous,” Cossey said. “It was a good time.”

Cossey was one of six volunteers at that store who collected 20 bags of items and more than $150 between 8AM and 4PM. AmeriCorps members Tracy Faletti (who works for HEALTHY Armstrong in Ford City) and Nicole George (who helps at the Crooked Creek Environmental Learning Center in Manor Township) also collected at the Hilltop Plaza Foodland.

Another local AmeriCorps spurred a community collection in her hometown.

“We expanded (the service project) this year – we usually (volunteer at) two grocery stores, but (Chelsea Walker, based at the Armstrong Conservation District office) organized the one in Apollo. She’s originally from there and thought it would be a good idea to have one out there as well,” Cossey said. “Those donations are going to go to Apollo food banks and the ones in Kittanning will benefit Armstrong County food banks.”

Walker was at the Shop `n Save in Apollo.

Cossey was proud of the money received at the Franklin Village store.

“They can definitely do a lot with (those monetary donations),” Cossey said.

Cossey was joined throughout the day by Maddie and Lauren Gogal, and Henry Herbst – all part of the Crooked Creek Watershed Association – and Julianne, Anne and Morgan Jacques.

The Jacques’ family was visiting from Pittsburgh and called Cossey last week to ask for volunteering opportunities. They stayed in town about three hours.

Even though Faletti was not at HEALTHY Armstrong Monday when she normally would have been, Director Kay Owen still encouraged the collection by providing some of her own donations.

Faletti, George and Cossey tried to attract customers to shop for extra supplies including common non-perishables, like cereal and peanut butter - by sitting close to the front of the respective stores.

“Typically, they’re here to shop and we catch them on the way in and let them know,” Cossey said.

Several donors also donate their time in their home communities and wanted to reach out to other volunteering organizations.

Faletti did not have as much success, but collected nearly 50 food items and almost $43 in cash. It was also her first food drive, even though she has fundraised in the past.

Faletti said most of those that stopped by at Foodland gave monetary donations, whether it was spare change or paper bills.

All three AmeriCorps members are with the Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps.

Goods and money will be taken to the Armstrong County Community Action Agency.

MLK Day of Service projects were done across the country yesterday, with some projects that also occurred Saturday, January 18 to commemorate the presidential inauguration.

Donors were given stickers and bookmarks for their contributions.