Aurora City Schools

Aurora -- Resident Bruce Harris, who devotes his time to helping provide food to those who need it, says places like the Aurora Food Pantry for Volunteers of America are more likely to receive food donations on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. But food isn't as readily available when it's not a holiday. "But people have to eat ever... y day," he said, adding there are about 700 people in Aurora who need food but can't always afford it. "There are times during the year when the food runs perilously low," he said. "How can we resolve those issues? We had to look at the non-traditional giver. The answer is sizeable corporations." Harris' plan to collect food for the needy is called Food2Share, a name Harris created and is in the process of trademarking. Food2Share is a program that runs year-long and works with businesses of 50 or more employees. Only the Food2Share program targets the specific food shortages of the food pantry and schedules food drives at businesses so that food comes to the pantry on a consistent basis. "In Aurora, we located 16 companies that might want to have a food drive," he said. "We scheduled them so every week a different company is giving food. The Aurora Food Pantry picks up the food." Harris began approaching Aurora companies in October. "Every company that saw us said yes," he said. "Most are donating two times a year." In addition, those companies -- and everyone involved in donating -- know specifically what food is needed by going to the website at www.food2share.org/aurora, where a list appears. Harris gives website access to the food pantry so its representatives can post the needs each week. For example, the list of food needs for the week of Oct. 28 included stuffing mix, instant mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, canned sweet potatoes, turkey gravy (cans or jars), Jello and pudding mixes, hot roll mix, canned fruits & vegetables, and canned pumpkin (for pie). The website is posted by Christ Community Chapel in Aurora. "There is a big disconnect from what is ...Read More