ESCANABA, MI-- The Escanaba Department of Public Safety says it collected about 1,300 pounds of food and $800 in cash donations during its food drive at Elmer’s County Market this week.
The drive benefited the Community Foundation for Delta County’s “Feed the Kids” backpack program. It also aimed to shed light on the need to fight local food poverty every day.
Detective Sergeant Anthony LaPlant says last year the drive collected 1,700 pounds of food. Cash donations at the time were used to buy food and add it to the total. This year, he says, officials donated the money so schools could buy their own items. LaPlant says if the money were translated into pounds of food, this week they likely collected more than a ton.