The Fourth Annual Fill the Gazebo Food Drive is in the books! All statistics point to a success surpassing each of its previous collections. Held on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 13, the drive gathered donations from the community to benefit Merrill’s three food pantries and the Food for Kids Program.
The number of pounds of items collected totaled 6,257; the event’s previous high was 4,600 pounds. Monetary donations totaled $3,895, also surpassing amounts garnered in the past. Thirty-one churches, organizations and businesses as well as 56 individuals made contributions, each playing a part in the enormous success of the 2016 drive.
Sierra-Pacific Windows awarded a grant of $2,000 to the drive, along with 1,000 pounds of items. The Fill the Gazebo Committee is grateful for the generosity of this local business.
Fill the Gazebo Number Five will be held in August of 2017. If your business, organization or church would like to become a participant, or if you are interested in joining the planning committee, please contact Pr. Jess Wakefield at [email protected].