The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Annual food drive held at Great Lakes Mall
Mentor firefighters, dressed in their turnout gear for warmth, faced the cold and snow while collecting food and money donations during their annual food drive.
Firefighters set up at the Great Lakes Mall from 4 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 15 and again from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 16 in a parking lot near Max and Erma’s.
The Rescue the Needy Food Drive, which began as the brainchild of Lt. Mike Smith and firefighter paramedic Dominic Vivolo 23 years ago, has become an annual event.
“It’s been real beneficial to the needy in Lake county every year,” Vivolo said, “A group of firefighters get together and we stand out here usually around November or December to collect to help the Salvation Army out.”
It was estimated at least eight to ten firefighters were out on Friday night collecting money in their helmets along with non perishable food items, and again Saturday afternoon.
Based on his experience just by looking at the amount that was in the bucket, Smith estimates that an approximately
$2,800 to $3,200 was raised on Friday night.
“We filled a five-gallon bucket full of money,” Vivolo said. “We had a lot of
big denomination bills in the four hours, plus the city donated from their Chinese Auction this year.”
Vivolo also noted that as
soon as they started to set up on Friday a man came up with his car loaded with food, and he had a grand old time shopping.
“This is a tradition now, we have been doing it for so long, it’s automatic. We set up the signs and people know why we are here,” Smith said.
Both Smith and Vivolo report that there’s been a lot of good support from the community. The staff at Max and Erma’s sent hot chocolate and cookies out to the fire fighters. Also, residents counted how many firefighters were out and bought them all hot chocolate.
The firefighters acknowledged their gratitude to Great Lakes Mall for letting them set up there as well.
It’s been pretty well received, Vivolo said. It gets to be a bit of a traffic jam, but that’s good sometimes because it gives them time to get some money out, and there hasn’t been any road rage, he said.
John Wozniak, a retired firefighter who comes out every year, got emotional and teared up when asked why he comes back to do this.
“There are hungry people in this county and that is wrong,” he said. “That’s why I do it, it’s something that shouldn’t happen in America but it does so we do our part to help.”