Annual food drive seeks neighborhood volunteer organizers

The area's largest annual food drive is gearing up and looking for help.

It's Spooky to be Hungry, a Halloween-themed food drive to be held Oct. 28, boasted more than 2,600 volunteers last year in 191 Augusta-area neighborhoods.

Neighborhood coordinators recently began contacting prospective volunteers to garner even more neighborhoods for the drive, which benefits Golden Harvest Food Bank.

"If our growth stays true to form, we will probably increase, I would guess, by another 30 neighborhoods this year," said Debbie Johnson, a board member with the food drive's parent organization, Big Changes Start Small Inc.

Johnson said she has a list of about a dozen neighborhoods that wanted to participate last year, but made contact with volunteer coordinators too late.

Last year, volunteers collected more than 98,800 pounds of food and nearly $56,000, which provided 248,630 meals to the hungry, she said.

"For most volunteers, what we need is a commitment of a couple of hours on the morning of Oct. 28 to collect in their neighborhoods," Johnson said. "We're also looking for volunteers to organize those neighborhoods."

Called captains, neighborhood organizers spread the word about the drive, organize volunteer teams, many of which are comprised of children, and provide a central location for food collection.

To volunteer, call (706) 736-1199, ext. 229, or go online to www.spookytobehungry.org.