Thanksgiving is not just about giving thanks. For some, it’s also about giving help.
In the spirit of the holiday, residents of James City County’s Greater First Colony neighborhood donated a ton of food to those in need this holiday season.
2,515 pounds, 515 pounds more than a ton, to be exact.
On Nov. 4, Williamsburg realty company RE/MAX Capital sponsored its 12th annual Walk for Hunger, taking in its biggest donation yet, according to RE/MAX Capital owner Bobby Jankovic.
About two dozen neighborhood volunteers walked a 2.4-mile route through First Colony last weekend, carrying paper bags and wheeling carts to collect nonperishable food items.
The items were delivered to the Grove community and FISH, a Williamsburg-area nonprofit that provides food, clothing and household goods to those in need, Jankovic said.
Jankovic estimated about 125 different households donated food for the event this year, which has grown dramatically in past years. Last year, volunteers collected 2,200 pounds. In 2015 and 2014, they collected around 1,600 and 1,000 pounds.
“The year we first donated the food to Grove we scaled in at 800lbs,” Jankovic wrote in an email. “That was when I started focusing on the weight of the food and noticed we had something special that could grow larger. And it has. So now I weigh the food prior to donating it.”
The Walk for Hunger didn’t stop with just food donations – special activities also took place in the First Colony park, including face painting, games and light refreshments. RE/MAX also had a hot air balloon in the park.
After the weekend walk, Jankovic and his neighbor, Gene Bruss, who works with FISH frequently, filled their vehicles to deliver the canned goods to Fish and Grove. It takes at least two large SUVs and a utility trailer to transport all the food.
“Gene has a Ford Explorer SUV that gets packed to the gills, I have a Suburban that gets packed and also a utility trailer that is filled,” Jankovic said.
The Walk for Hunger doesn’t require First Colony residents to be home or give food at their door, either, Jankovic added.
In the week leading up to the walk, Jankovic and other volunteers work to tag paper bags – which neighbors donate to him throughout the year – with food donation instructions, then deliver them to each of First Colony’s 515 homes.
The delivery of bags is time-consuming and labor-intensive, but Jankovic said pre-delivery increases donations. About 360 pounds of this year’s food was donated early.
“First Colony neighbors always step up to the plate and hit home runs with their time, energy and effort,” he said. “It is a very special place to live.”
By planning ahead, neighbors are able to donate even if they won’t be in town that day. Some arrange to have their donations picked up, others drop them off.
“[T]he volunteers at Grove are always so happy to see the donations come,” Jankovic said. “They convey how much they are needed and how quickly they will end up on the table of local families who are in need.”
The event was open to the public this year and will be again next year.
