The Mobster Food Drive was born

So the plan was simple, we would mob PT Pet Supply and our members could either buy something for their own pets, or they could buy something and donate the items to the Community Cat Connection or the Webster Animal Shelter. We had two boxes set up in the store and one by one, members were taking items off the shelves, making purchases, and then donating items into those boxes. At the end of the day over 50 mobsters came to PT, and when they left, each box was full of items for their respective organizations.During this November hit I was approached by Donna Farrow, who is the head of the Webster Dudley Food Share. She told me her story, and she explained the overwhelming obstacles that she has been confronted with in recent months. She simply asked, "Is there anything that you can do?"

Following the hit, several members of our group remained in the store and I shared with them my interaction with Donna. I wondered if we could duplicate our efforts from today, but on a much larger scale. Immediately my closest friend in the mob, Christian Leatham, got very excited and he wanted to plan a drive for the next weekend. His excitement was shared by all of the members of the group and immediately ideas began to circulate. We decided to take a month and plan for a December food drive; the Mobster Food Drive was born.

A week after Thanksgiving, 25 of us filled the conference room at Sterling Realty and began preparation for the first ever, Mobster Food Drive. We knew that to make the most of our efforts we would need to plan, delegate, and execute because we only had a month. We would need help from businesses that could provide us with the tools necessary to complete our mission. Most importantly we would need a commitment from one another that above all else, the goal would be to fill the Food Share.

So here we are, less than a week away from our big event, and our vision of filling a box truck with food and delivering it to the Food Share is upon us. Over twenty businesses in both Webster and Dudley have been food drop locations for the past two weeks. All of the Webster schools also have food drop boxes and have sent messages to their student bodies. The Dudley school system has also spread the word on our behalf. All three grocery stores in both towns have embraced our mission and are allowing our volunteers to stand outside to collect donations on the day of the event. Several community members have contacted us asking to volunteer for the big day, some of whom will be driving around neighborhoods doing curbside pickups for those who cannot make it to the event, but wish to donate. Radio stations like 98.9 and Nichols College radio have plugged our event on their radio shows. Our new State Rep. Ryan Fattman accepted our invitation to join us, as did Santa Clause, and both will be rolling up their sleeves and lending a helping hand. Over 20 businesses have donated products and services that are necessary for us to achieve our goal. Finally, each and every member of that original group of 25 has literally moved mountains to see this mission through to a successful completion.

On Saturday, December 15th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Webster Dudley Mobster Food Drive will descend on Webster Lake Gifts and Sterling Realty for our inaugural charity event. We encourage everyone in the area to come out and be part of this day of giving. Together as a community we will be filling a box truck with food and making a one mile trip down Lake Street to provide that food to over 1200 families in our community who desperately need it. Individually we can do a little, but together we can do a lot. Let’s fill the food share in 2012!!

(The Patriot office at 168 Gore Road is a food drop off location, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 8:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.)