Hunger Heroes: 10 Years of Helping Needy SouthCoast Families

Why donate to the United Way's Hunger Heroes Food Drop? Your donation of non-perishable food items is part of a bigger effort to help 1,000 needy families on the SouthCoast celebrate Thanksgiving.

Organizing the annual Hunger Heroes event again this year is Victoria Grasela, Vice President of Marketing and Community Development for United Way of Greater New Bedford. She stopped by Townsquare Sunday this week to give us an update.

This year's Hunger Heroes Food Drop is Saturday, November 16 from 10 a.m. to noon at ALDI Supermarket at the Dartmouth Mall.

Grasela said the Food Drop is only a small part of the Hunger Heroes campaign. The United Way has already enlisted the help of more than 30 community partners to collect food, including local businesses, nonprofits and schools.

"Food has been coming in for a couple of weeks now, so we are in full-steam ahead mode for Thanksgiving," she said.

You can help on the 16th by donating non-perishable food items like canned vegetables, gravy (in plastic containers only), stuffing mix, instant mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. You can also make a virtual food donation. The United Way of Greater New Bedford website has all the information on how to do so.

The next phase of the Hunger Heroes Food Drive happens on November 23 at Keith Middle School, where about 200 volunteers will put together 1,000 baskets full of donated food items, adding a Table Talk pie plus a $25 gift card to each basket. The baskets will then be delivered to area food pantries and distributed to needy families.

Care to volunteer for the Hunger Heroes Food Drive? Register at volunteersouthcoast.org starting today.

"This is our 10th year doing Hunger Heroes and we are so proud of it," Grasela said. "It really feeds a lot of families and people are struggling out there, so every little bit helps, especially during the holidays."

The complete interview with the United Way's Victoria Grasela can be heard here:

if you would like your organization featured on Townsquare Sunday, please email the host at jim.phillips@townsquaremedia.com.