Food for sharing: Publix donates more than $7,000 in food to LaGrange Personal Aid

Published 8:35 pm Monday, May 7, 2018

Publix customers helped raise more than $7,000 in food items, which were donated Monday to LaGrange Personal Aid. The donation was unloaded Monday morning by four Publix employees, including Wayne Woodring, the assistant manager of the LaGrange store.

“This is all because LaGrange is a great place to live and people are very generous with their donations. We are just happy to be the middle man,” Woodring said. 

The donation included peanut butter, mac and cheese, green beans, potatoes, tuna fish, beef stew and cereal bars. 

Woodring said usually around $5,000 and $7,000 is donated through the drive, which takes place in both the spring and fall each year.

“Our cashiers are constantly asking, and I know our customers sometimes get tired of being asked to donate, but our cashiers do a good job of asking every customer who comes through if they want to donate to Food for Sharing,” Woodring said. “They do a good job asking and LaGrange does a good job reciprocating and responding.”

According to the Publix website, customers select from three different donation level choices. The cashier scans their key card and the chosen amount is added to the customer’s order.

The food went toward the Interfaith Food Closet, which is operated by volunteers from participating local churches. 

“We have two food closets per week, and we do 25, either single families or larger families,” said Food Closet Coordinator Jennifer Cason when asked how many people the closet serves each week. “It kind of depends on the number of people we have per family, so it kind of varies.”

Regardless, it was clear that the donation will help a lot of people.

The food closet was down to its final two buggies of canned goods, but received hundreds of food items on Monday.

LaGrange Personal Aid also provides assistance on prescription refills, medical transportation, medical supplies, transient aid, emergency transportation and oversees the milk and juice for seniors program, as well as the share and round-up program for utilities. LaGrange Personal Aid is a United Way organization.