United Way of Marshall County and 2-1-1/First Call for Help have once again partnered with WAFF48 to conduct the 18th Annual Holiday Can-a-thon in Marshall County to provide food for local families in need. This year’s Can-a-thon is scheduled for Tuesday, December 6th from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Walmart locations in Arab, Boaz and Guntersville as well as Foodland in Boaz, Foodland in Albertville, Foodland in Guntersville, Foodland in Arab, Warehouse Discount Grocery in Arab, Food Valu in Douglas and Dennis Foodland in Grant.
As the tough economy continues and the holidays draw near, the need for food is greater than ever. All food collected through the Can-a-thon is distributed through The Salvation Army, Marshall County Homeless Ministries, CASA, Domestic Violence Crisis Services, Meals on Wheels and Marshall County Christian Services (Second Chance and TESA). The list of most needed items includes: canned meats (tuna, chicken, ham, spam, stew), canned vegetables, canned fruits, canned juices, peanut butter (plastic jars only), breakfast cereal, canned soup, dried soup mixes, dried beans, boxed pastas and rice.
HH“Food assistance remains to be one of the top most requested needs in Marshall County. We are asking the community to please consider giving what they can to help this year,” said 2-1-1 Resource Specialist Pat Potts. “If every family, household or business could just donate one canned good, it would go such a long way. Small donations by many people will make a huge difference.”
Several area organizations, businesses, churches and schools will also be hosting food collections to aid in the effort. Community members that would like to drop off nonperishable items prior to December 6th can bring their donations to the following locations:
- First Cash Express – Albertville
- Lambert’s Bibles and Gifts - Boaz
- Salvation Army – Arab
- Walmart – Arab, Boaz and Guntersville
- Foodland – Albertville, Arab, Boaz, Douglas, Guntersville
- Warehouse Discount Grocery – Arab
- Dennis Foodland - Grant
- United Way office – Guntersville
In addition to food and monetary donations, United Way and 2-1-1 are also asking individuals and groups to volunteer their time and energy to help collect food donations at all locations on December 6th. You can volunteer an hour, a few hours or a half a day to make a difference in our community.
For more information or if you would like to participate in this year’s Can-a-thon, please contact Pat Potts at (256) 582-0506 or pat@unitedwaymarshall.org.