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'Mayors' Feed the Hungry' Thanksgiving Food Drive

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BRADENTON -- Food drives for Manatee and Sarasota counties will begin Monday, Nov. 7 and end on Friday, Nov. 18. Called Mayors' Feed the Hungry, the drives will run in Palmetto, Bradenton, Longboat Key, Sarasota, and Venice.

All the food collected is given away for free at local food pantries in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Several Bradenton government offices have food bins available in the lobbies for volunteers to drop off donations during regular hours. These locations are Bradenton City Hall, 101 Old Main St.; Bradenton Police Department, 100 10th St. W.; and Gene Gallo Central Fire Station, 1010 9th Ave. W. Manatee Memorial Hospital, 206 2nd St. E., also is collecting donations.

Food bins will be collected on Nov. 18. City Hall is closed on Fridays, so its food bin will be collected Thursday, Nov. 17.

Items of importance are canned goods and packaged foods, such as soup, meat, tuna, vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, fruit, spaghetti sauce, pie filling, condensed milk, cranberry sauce, rice, noodles, dried beans, spaghetti, cereal, hamburger helper, instant potatoes, stuffing mix and powdered milk.

Money also is accepted. All money collected in the Manatee-Sarasota region stays here and is distributed to charitable agencies as gift cards that can be redeemed at Publix for food only. Donors can make checks payable to Mayors’ Feed The Hungry Program, P.O. Box 1992, Sarasota, FL 34230-1992.

This annual charity drive has helped thousands of hungry people in Manatee and Sarasota counties afford food. Mayor Poston and Bradenton Police Chaplain Don Sturiano discussed the program and the local need on the Christian Television Network and Manatee Education Television. Both programs will be aired numerous times through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

The Food Bank of Manatee, the largest hunger prevention organization in the county, also is accepting donations of food in its effort to fight hunger. Food donations may be delivered to the Food Bank of Manatee, 811 23rd Ave. E., in Bradenton, from 8:30-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call the facility at (941) 747-3663.

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