Letter to the editor: A community that gives

I want to express my sincere gratitude for all those who made La Puente’s Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley’s annual Thanksgiving outreach event, The Great Thanksgiving Giveaway, successful. To every volunteer who gave your time on a Saturday to pack and distribute 860 boxes, to the every individual and business who donated Thanksgiving boxes, to all the organizations and churches who held food drives, and to the farmers that shared with us your fresh produce - we could not have done it without you.

As the new director of the Network, the task of fundraising for and acquiring food for our goal of  700 Thanksgiving boxes was daunting. But because of you, we exceeded our goal and distributed 860 boxes to pantries in 5 of the 6 counties in the San Luis Valley. In the San Luis Valley, the feeling of community is tangible. For me, it was a truly humbling experience to see so many people come together to make a difference.

I want to give a special shout-out to Weiss Dry Cleaners, SLV Regional Medical Center, Lutheran Hospital Association of the SLV, Southern Colorado Farms, Martinez Monuments, Alamosa State Bank, Donald and Susan Kanen, Mark Lounsbury and Gigi Dennis, Susan Lyle, the Town of Moffat, the Free Spirit Christian Church and Little Stinkers Cab Service for your support. A big thank you to SLV Health and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for hosting Thanksgiving-box-specific food drives, collecting 3,500 and 2,900 lbs of food, respectively. Additionally, I want to recognize the individuals and community groups who volunteered the day of - namely, Key Club, Living Water Bible Fellowship, Rotary Club, Del Norte High School, and SLV Health.

Lyndsey Williams
Director
La Puente's Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley