Food drive sets new record at 85,000 pounds

"The community is incredible," said CVI Marketing Director Bill Henderson. "There has been a constant stream of cars with trunks full of food and people with checks and cash."

Retired Food Closet Board Chair Len Frueh, who's overseen the event for years, said that donations were already ahead of last year's by 9:30 a.m. In 2009, the Carson Valley community surpassed the donations of all Reno locations combined by collecting more than 76,000 pounds of food and roughly $36,000 in monetary donations.

The problem with raising the bar so high, however, is the difficulty of beating one's own record. But early Friday morning, Frueh made a prediction.

"I believe we'll beat last year both in food and monetary donations," he said. "We're hearing that friendly chant, 'beat Reno.' In this community, nothing is impossible."

Frueh's prediction turned out to be right. By 6 p.m. Friday, the Valley had donated 85,000 pounds of food and $36,000 to the cause. The effort was helped at 5 p.m. by a big blast from Raley's in Gardnerville, which donated 47,000 pounds of food.

Frueh said Scolari's also stepped up throughout the day with food donations, while the Carson Valley Community Food Closet Crafters donated $4,200.

Acting Food Closet Chair Mike Wiley said he will be taking the reins from Frueh next year.

"It kind of takes care of itself," he said, noting with the sweep of his arm the organized and eager work of volunteers and donors. "Carson Valley Inn does a wonderful job providing the venue. Our new director Kathy Thompson is doing a wonderful job. This is her second food drive. Things have never been busier or better at the food closet."

Trinity Lutheran teacher Laura Edmonds said that while her students were more than anxious to see Santa Claus, they were also learning how to become part of something greater than themselves.

"Each brought a can of food to donate," she said. "We're teaching them to serve others in the spirit of Christmas."