Spooky success enters 10th year

It's hard to believe how big a difference 10 years can make.

Started with three women in three Columbia County neighborhoods, the It's Spooky to be Hungry food drive will celebrate its 10th collection Saturday. Early in the morning, nearly 2,000 adults and children will fan out across not just three neighborhoods, but nearly 150.

Collections that first year weren't even totalled, but simply hauled to Golden Harvest Food Bank. Last year, the drive netted more than 61,000 pounds of food and $31,000, representing Golden Harvest's largest single drive.

Those efforts, led by Evelyn Browne and Spooky co-chair Debbie Johnson, have also put Spooky on the national map: The drive landed a USA Weekend Make a Difference Day award in 2003.

Browne's brainchild not only gathers food for the hungry, but also brings together people from all around the Georgia-Carolina area in a growing sense of community.

To be a part, listen for a doorbell Saturday morning, or leave a donation of food or a check on your front porch. Or, drop off your contributions at The News-Times office in the Publix shopping center on Washington Road in Evans between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Feeding the hungry and building a community: The idea is so simple and so good, it's downright spooky. Congratulations on year 10.