Students from 30 southside Hampton Roads public and private high schools are collecting food to help feed the hungry this fall.

The 2009 Student Food Drive kicked off Tuesday, September 29 at the Foodbank of  Southeastern Virginia on Tidewater Drive.  Fox 43 is a proud sponsor and the Foodbank asked me to speak to the students at the kickoff rally.

I encouraged them to reach out to their peers and the community to donate non-perishable items and help the less fortunate.

The rally was the spotlight for the students’ talent.  They performed skits about hunger and solving the problem.

Representatives from Granby, Kellam, Booker T. Washington, Atlantic Shores Christian and Tallwood were among those who performed at the kickoff event.   The food will be collected at the participating schools and also through drives the students set up at local businesses.  The 10 most wanted items are peanut butter, chunky soups, canned meats, canned tuna, canned vegetables, juice, cereal, macaroni and cheese, pasta and pasta sauces.

The Foodbank hopes to reach or exceed the goal of 100,000 pounds of food this year. Last year, the students brought in 70,000 with another 30,000 pound donation from Tyson Foods.   The school that collects the most pounds per capita wins the competition.

The competition ends with an awards celebration on Wednesday, November 11 at the Foodbank. Good luck to all of the students who are participating and here’s my challenge to you to do your part and help those in need.  Every bit counts!

A big thank you to all of you who participated in our 10 on Your Side “Shred-It event” on Saturday, May 16.

Hundreds of people came out, many arrived early, to have their personal documents shredded in the big mobile shredding trucks. In exchange for the service that helps protect your identity, participants brought non-perishable goods for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia.

We collected more than 3500 pounds of food for needy families.
Volunteers from Jackson-Hewitt tax services and the Foodbank helped out.

I was at the College Park Shopping Center in Virginia Beach, while Eric Harryman was at the Willow Oaks Shopping Center in Hampton.
The weather was threatening with dark clouds looming most of the time and a few downpours, but it didn’t keep people away.

It was nice to meet new people and reunite with old friends.
We hope to see you at our next Shred-it event in July. Keep checking out wavy.com for exact locations, date and time.

Thanks to all of you who came to Moe’s Southwest Grill at Hilltop in Virginia Beach and supported “Moe Money For Charity” night.

I was joined by my colleague Kay Young and local radio hosts to raise money for organizations of our choice. There were also silent auction items for folks to bid on including Coldplay tickets, dvd’s, mugs, hats, and a guitar!

I raised money for donations to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia’s Kids Cafe program, which helps feed needy children nutritious meals year round.

Kay’s charity of choice was the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Kay lost her brother to the disease earlier this year. She showed the crowd his picture and presented a special poetic tribute to him.

Many thanks to all who came out. As of Friday, May 8, we raised about $3,000.

You can still support the charities by dropping your donation in the boxes at local Moe’s restaurants.