Pathway to Progress food drive held

DECATUR — Volunteers from Pathway to Progress were on hand at Decatur City Hall’s annex building (old Headstart) Saturday morning waiting for area residents to drop off donations for the group’s new food pantry.

Five Pathway members and family guests set up operations near the north driveway between City Hall and the annex to collect any nonperishable food items and monetary donations to help stock the Girl Scout food pantry, next to Decatur Pawn in the downtown area. Eventually, this pantry will be moved to and incorporated with the Pathways unit.

Shanna Tucker, a native of Decatur and president of the organization, is looking for more than just food donations to help fund the pantry.

“We are not limiting donations to just nonperishable items,” Tucker said. “We will take any monetary donation as well. Anyone wishing to give money to the food pantry can take it to Decatur City Hall. Pathway will use it to continue to stock the pantry and any other project we may do in the future.”

Eventually, the group will have a bigger pantry in operation, hopefully in the next few weeks. This pantry will be housed near the city hall and will be opened for all who are in need of foodstuffs to make good home-cooked meals.

The volunteers were on hand through the two-hour event to unload cars and trucks in order to limit any exposure to the covid-19 virus. Besides Tucker, the volunteer staff included LaVonn Foreman, Ashley McCollum, Ian Hassett, Rowdy Lemke, Caroline Krueger and Mary Lou Janes.

While the two-hour food drive yielded several boxes and bags of canned goods and nonperishables items, area residents can still donate to the Pathway food pantry at any time by dropping off items at Decatur City Hall’s main entrance any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Pathway’s second project of the week was delivered to Northside Elementary, Decatur Middle and High Schools on Monday, Aug. 24. The group was able to get donations of school supplies from paper and notebooks to football imprinted scissors. These items will be distributed to school kids during the first week of school.

“I would like to thank area businesses and local residents for their donations to help school kids get the supplies they need,” Tucker said.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Shanna Tucker (right) takes a monetary donation from a Decatur resident during the Pathway to Progress canned good drop-off at Decatur City Hall annex building Saturday morning. The Pathway group accepted money, as well as food donations during the event.

Foreman puts a finishing touch on a sign which was used to guide donors to the collection site. The group collected canned goods, as well as monetary donations, to help fill its new food pantry which will go into operation in the coming weeks.

Several Pathway to Progress volunteers wait for donors to drop off canned goods. Volunteers included Ashley McCollum (upper left), LaVonn Foreman, Ian Hassett and Shanna Tucker (president).

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Bethany Porter (center) hands a box of canned goods to Caroline Krueger (right) during the Saturday morning Pathway to Progress food drive held at the city hall annex building (old Head Start building) in Decatur.