Cheers for Volunteers: Eastside Food Drive Seeking Help in Kirkland

More than 200 volunteers will spend a few hours on two Saturdays in September outside 11 Kirkland grocery stores for an important cause: Feeding the hungry. It’s all part of the Eastside Food Drive during the month of September, and the City of Kirkland is seeking your help.

For people like Kirkland’s Preston Ballou, a senior at Redmond’s Overlake School, it’s a rewarding effort. He has devoted 110 hours of community service, and will spend more houts on those two September Saturdays

“I like working with food because everybody needs food,” the Kirkland resident said. “And working with the basic necessities is really rewarding. I really get a chance to connect with people. I like to know that I’m helping people. It’s always fun if you have people helping you too, working with you. Especially if you see smiles on their faces. That lets you know you are helping.”

Last year the Eastside Food Drive raised $11,000 and collected more than 60,000 pounds of food, enough to feed 100 people for more than five months. Volunteers collected $3,000 and nearly 12,000 pounds of food last year at two Kirkland grocery store days alone, about 20 percent of the total amount of food brought in throughout the entire month.

“As I like to say, that’s about six tons,” said . “Those two days are really, really important. And that’s why our volunteers are so important. We couldn’t do it without them.”

Brian Anderson, operations manager for the nonprofit Emergency Feeding Program of Seattle/King County, said food drives are popular during the holidays, but the need is year-round. Our shelves start to dwindle as we get through the summer,” he said. “When we get to fall, we’re in need of a little help.”

this year will provide 24 volunteers, enough to staff the for Sept. 15 and Sept. 29. The Church of Latter Day Saints will be providing 48 volunteers, scattered between Houghton’s , Bridle Trails’ , the South Rose Hill and .

But more volunteers are needed. If you can help, please follow this link.

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Information from a City of Kirkland press release.