Dartmouth Aldi Hosting Hunger Heroes Food Drop This Saturday

The United Way of Greater New Bedford is holding its ninth annual Hunger Heroes Food Drop on Saturday, November 11 from 10 a.m. to noon outside Aldi at the Dartmouth Mall.

Victoria Grasela, Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement, said the goal is to collect enough food to fill 1,000 holiday baskets for needy families in the area.

Grasela stopped by Townsquare Sunday this week to give us a rundown on this year's event.

"Each year we collect anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000 lbs. of food," Grasela said. "We make it as easy as we can for people to donate."

Donors can simply drive up to Aldi and volunteers will be ready to take your donation from your car.

"You don't even have to leave your vehicle," Grasela said.

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Organizers are looking for some specific items, including canned vegetables like corn, peas and green beans, as well as cornbread mix, cranberry sauce, gravy, instant mashed potatoes and stuffing mix (no glass containers, please).

The Hunger Heroes Food Drop has actually be going on for weeks, with more than 35 businesses, schools, and nonprofit entities collecting food items.

You can also purchase food from Amazon and have it sent directly to the United Way offices in New Bedford by visiting the Hunger Heroes page on Amazon.

"It's great to see the outpouring from the community this time of the year, it's just so important," Grasela said.

All of the food donated will be sorted and packaged the following Saturday for delivery to area food pantries.

Stop by Aldi at the Dartmouth Mall on Saturday, November 11 from 10 a.m. to noon.  A host of volunteers will be on hand to greet you, including staffers from Fun 107 and WBSM, plus students from Our Sisters' School.

Food insecurity is still a problem in Greater New Bedford and your help will be greatly appreciated.

Townsquare Sunday is a weekly community affairs program heard Sundays on WBSM.

The program features individuals and organizations seeking to make the SouthCoast a better place to live and work.

If you would like your organization featured on Townsquare Sunday, please email the host at jim.phillips@townsquaremedia.com.