October 7, 2021 – The WSOY Community Food Drive will celebrate its 20th year tomorrow at the Airport Plaza Kroger tomorrow. There have been many volunteers over that period of time and those that have taken time from their lives to support eliminating hunger in the community have stuck with the event for many years, allowing it to continue, as well as grow to what it has become.
Debbie Bogle, Executive Director at United Way of Decatur & Mid-Illinois, has been coordinating volunteers since 2010 but she and her associates have been volunteering much longer. When asked about her favorite memory of her time with the Food Drive so far, she pointed out watching the year-after-year growth, “It’s crazy that this has gone from a small box truck to multiple trucks and millions of pounds of food. When you take each year and the milestones that were met it seems like an impossible task but each year our community stands together to make this happen.” she said.
Tony Piraino, Broker/Agent for Brinkoetter Real Estate, has been involved with the Food Drive for the last five years. He began when he was the community chair for Caterpillar Decatur’s Young Professionals group and reflected on the changes to the Drive since he began volunteering. “We decided as a group that we wanted to push a food drive through our entire facility to help with the WSOY food drive. We ended up bringing several hundred pounds in large industrial bins decorated as Cat mining trucks. From my perspective, the biggest change is the number of volunteers that have continued to show up on food drive days to help with the logistics of everything. That is always a fun and exciting thing to help with.” Piraino said.
The competitive spirit has also played a part in the growth of the Drive, with it becoming a tradition for businesses schools, and the community, Bogle pointed out. “This is an exciting event that everyone wants to see and be a part of. It has become a tradition for businesses, schools, and everyone in our community. From volunteering to school drives and just driving out to see all the excitement and to make a donation. Our community wants this to be successful so it is!”
The 20th annual food drive will be held tomorrow from 6 am to 6 pm. If you would like to donate, go here. If you would like to volunteer, go here.
