MSP Wakefield Post donates 13,771 pounds of food to local food banks

By RICHARD JENKINS

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Wakefield - It took approximately an hour for the student volunteers to load all the donations into vehicles Wednesday as the Michigan State Police Wakefield Post distributed 13,771 pounds of donated goods area food banks.

The post had been accepting both cash and non-perishable goods donations for the past several weeks, said Post Commander F/Lt. Don Horn - including two donation events at Super One in Ironwood - as part of the state police's annual Harvest Gathering campaign.

"We had excellent support with our business partners from Ironwood to Lake Gogebic, it was awesome," said Horn, adding that residents also stepped up and were crucial to making the event a success.

The donated items were evenly distributed between food pantries in Ironwood, Bessemer and Watersmeet.

"The community really pulled together for this great effort to fill the three pantries," Horn said.

The donation's exceeded Horn's goal of 12,000 pounds.

"I didn't know if we'd reach the 12,000, but we've reached it and then exceeded it," he said, adding he didn't think Wakefield's total would be beat by any of the other posts in the state.

The post has participated in the annual collection for at least 13 years, Horn said, as they were participating when he arrived.

Tomas Santos, director of the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, said donations such as those from the post were what enabled his organization to serve the community.

"This helps us a lot. Being a charitable organization, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, we don't generate any funds from anybody. We take donations," Santos said. "I tell you, I don't know how we would do it without (donations). I just wish we has a bigger place."

Santos runs the pantry out of the basement of the rectory of Our Lady of Peace - across the alley from the church - in Ironwood. Open Tuesday through Thursday between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Santos said it feeds roughly 225 people a month.