Hamilton Herald Masthead

Editorial


Front Page - Friday, July 23, 2010

Chattanooga Association of Realtors holds food drive




L-R: Jay Bell; Manny Rico; Tim Knapp; Kiwana Morrow; Carol Miller; Mary Carlson; Terri Sissom. All are associated with the Chattanooga Association of Realtors, with the exception of Chattanooga City Councilman Rico. - Photo provided
Hunger is a 365-day a year problem, yet food donations at the Chattanooga Area Food Bank go down in the summer months, when people are on vacation and the holidays are still several months off. To help to fill the gap and to draw attention to the need for ongoing assistance, the Chattanooga Association of Realtors on July 14 held a community-wide food drive to benefit the Food Bank. From 3 to 6 p.m., representatives from the CAR manned the loading dock at the facility, accepting donations from other Realtors, businesses and members of the community.
Before the drive even began, the CAR brought in 1,500 pounds of food it had gathered in barrels placed at local businesses such as First Tennessee Bank. The Realtors at the Crye-Leike office on Gunbarrell collected the most food, filling two barrels and winning a Nintendo Wii video gaming system for their office as a reward for their efforts. The CAR also gave away a free Wii to the individual who donated the most food.
In addition, First Tennessee Bank presented the CAR with a check to be given to the Food Bank. In the wake of the donation, other checkbooks were whipped out in an effort to add to the tally. One person joked about writing a check “for one dollar more” than the check from First Tennessee Bank.
The friendly competition will help the Food Bank stock it shelves, purchase the supplies it needs and fund its operations as it works to feed 20,000 people in 22 counties each week.
Gary Paul, chairman of the Outreach Committee at the CAR, said he hopes the food drive will help the public to see that Realtors are more than people who want to sell houses; they are also members of the community who want to help others.
In the coming weeks, the CAR will hold a school supplies drive for one of the less-advantaged schools in the Chattanooga area.