'Spooky to be Hungry' drive going on this month

You can be a part of the community wide effort to participate in "It's Spooky to be Hungry," an annual food drive to benefit the Golden Harvest Food Bank. Since its inception in 1992, It's Spooky to be Hungry has brought hundreds of people together in fun, significant com- munity-building volunteer work.

In 2006, Spooky volunteers collected more than 106,000 pounds of food and nearly $58,000.00. These proceeds provided more than 310,755 meals to area needy, which Spooky distributed through the local Golden Harvest food bank. All monetary donations are used to purchase food for the hungry. Hundreds of individual volunteers join in the Spooky effort to collect food in their neighborhoods, faith communities, workplaces, schools and civic organizations to make this the largest single food drive in the CSRA.

Spooky is an all-volunteer organization with no paid staff. Spooky volunteers are diverse, including adults, children, families, business and corporate supporters, schools, civic, youth and religious groups.

In 2003, It's Spooky to be Hungry was nationally recognized as one of the ten best Make a Difference Day projects.

In Wilkes County, Radio Shack and The News-Reporter are collecting canned goods or your donation to be part of the largest grassroots effort to help needy neighbors in the CSRA. There are also locations in Warren, McDuffie, and Columbia Counties.

Collections will be accepted now through October 31.

All monetary and food donations received through the "Spooky" food drive go directly to helping feed the hungry. No operational costs are deducted.

"Spooky" is an independent grassroots organization, without exclusive corporate, political or religious sponsorship.

In addition to monetary donations, organizers are asking for donations of non-perishable, commerciallyprepared food and also disposable diapers and baby wipes.

Please make out all tax-deductible checks to "It's Spooky To Be Hungry." Contributions can be made at the drop-off locations listed above or can be mailed to Spooky at: 3310 Commerce Drive, Augusta, GA 30909.

For more information about It's Spooky To Be Hungry, contact Sheilah Johnson at 706-595-6146 or by email at spooky@goldenharvest. org. You may visit the website at www.spookytobehungry.org.