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Tooele man creates food drive to help make holiday meals for local families

A person cutting apart a roasted chicken
Claudio Schwarz
/
Unsplash

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, a Tooele man is helping put meals on the table for local families.

After four years of growing his community food drive, James Hunter has been helping feed families in need through donations and the help of other community members who have volunteered their energy and time for his cause.

Hunter says that four years ago, he made a Facebook post letting everyone know that he wanted to help two families plan meals, but that number increased to 15 families the following morning. From the start, Hunter’s food drive began by helping those two families he planned on helping, but then in the first year, it swiftly grew to him helping make 50 meals for families between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year, Hunter’s food drive saw 250 families receiving meals for the holidays.

With their goal being to help anybody and everybody who simply needs a meal, no questions asked, Hunter and other volunteers gather donations, shop for and box food, and deliver them to the families in need of them. This year, the drive will be putting together over 150 food boxes and according to Hunter, the drive is already halfway towards making their donations goal.

Mckenzi Bridge, one of the helpers who dropped off a donation of potatoes on Monday, says that it’s an amazing feeling to be at that point where she can provide to others. Bridge’s potatoes were handpicked at her family farm in Idaho and will make the journey to the plates of those in need of the food this holiday season.

For those interested in helping with donations, deliveries, and food boxings, or even those who are in need of food this upcoming holiday season, the link to join Hunter’s Facebook group can be found here.

Jared Gereau is pursuing a Journalism major with an emphasis in Social Media at Utah State University. He is planning on using his experience to pursue a career with USU Athletics sometime after he graduates. In his free time, Jared enjoys watching movies, playing games and creating content for his YouTube channel.