The final total for the 10 Days of Giving food drive through the end of the day on Friday, December 17 was 272,162 pounds of food. This is the second highest total in campaign history, after the 25th anniversary of the campaign that collected over 280,000 pounds. The 10 Days of Giving supports the food shelf programs at Winona Volunteer Services. “The Winona area community never fails to impress us with its generosity. We are so appreciative of your support in our endeavor to ensure no one in Winona County goes hungry this winter. Because of this community working together, we’ve been able to donate over 4 million pounds of food throughout the 33-year history of the campaign. That’s something this community can be very proud of, and it’s an honor to coordinate the effort in support of Winona Volunteer Services food shelf program clients,” said Merchants Bank Winona and Southern Regions President Andrew Guzzo. This year’s total breaks down to $126,578 in cash and 19,006 pounds of food. For the purposes of calculating the total, two pounds of food are counted for each dollar. Last year’s total was 260,211 pounds. The total for 33 years now stands at 4,286,853 pounds. “Seeing the community come together again to show its support for friends and neighbors really warms your heart,” said Co-Chair Jennifer Welch. “It was great to see people come out for events like Pack the Bus to Drive Out Hunger and Apps & Taps.” This was Welch’s eighth year chairing the drive, and she’ll be turning over the reins to Co-Chair Dave Pierret and a new co-chair next year. We are grateful for Welch’s leadership over the past eight years. “Once again we are so moved by our community’s generosity and appreciate everyone who supported this worthy cause. This campaign continues to demonstrate that when we work together, we can make a difference. We are fortunate to have such a warm, caring community,” said Co-Chair Dave Pierret. Merchants collected monetary and food donations at its branches as well as at participating schools, businesses and organizations around the area (view a full list at https://www.merchantsbank.com/10dayspartners). The 10 Days of Giving food drive is an annual community collaboration between Merchants Bank and Winona Volunteer Services to make sure no one in Winona County goes hungry each winter. Since 1989, the drive has collected more than 4 million pounds of food and helped thousands of people in Winona County. In addition to the Winona drive, other Merchants Bank locations partner with their respective local food shelf in a similar effort. To learn more about the 10 Days of Giving in your area, visit www.merchantsbank.com/10daysofgiving.
