MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – Middlebury churches collected tons of food donations for the holiday season– literally.
The HOPE food shelves are stocked with more than three tons worth of food. That’s as much as a pickup truck weighs and it’s all thanks to neighboring churches. The congregational church alone donated more than 6,000 pounds.
HOPE is an acronym for Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects. The nonprofit has served more than 3,000 people this year.
They say this holiday season is especially busy.
“It’s tremendous, it’s heartwarming. We could not do what we do without all of these donations. I feel like we’re a conduit for goodwill of the community. They provide to us, and we let it flow out to the individuals,” said Jeanne Montross of Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects.
The need for food doesn’t stop at the end of the holiday season. HOPE says around summertime, the stock gets low. They ask their community to keep up the hard work donating and collecting for all of the upcoming year.