Realtors hit record mark for Community Food Connection

Helping to raise funds and collect food for the Community Food Connection are Vicky Everbach, Lynn Waters, Linda Arendt, David Wallace, Gina Grah, Hope Cudd, Dan Monat, Lynne Warner and Amanda Hawkins. The realtors are members of the Knox Area Association of Realtors, Blount County Chapter.

In three days area realtors helped Community Food Connection of Blount County raise more money and food than the non-profit organization has ever done in a single drive.

Larry Ladd with Community Food Connection said about $20,200 in groceries and $783 in cash were raised through the efforts of the Blount County Chapter of the Knox Area Realtors. “It was our best food drive ever. The realtors did a good job of getting out the word,” he said.

The drive was on Oct. 1, 2, and 3 at the Kroger on Watkins Road in Maryville. Ladd praised the volunteers who stood beside the doors and handed fliers outlining needed items to customers as they entered. “They weren’t shy. They met people in the parking lot,” Ladd said. “The generosity of the community is great. The vast majority of folks almost immediately understood our needs,” he said.

Response was so strong Ladd had to send back vehicles because there wasn’t enough room for all the food that was donated. “There were four times we had SUVs to load, and we couldn’t get everything in,” he said.