The Food Bank of the Southern Tier continued its race against hunger by collecting food at Watkins Glen International this past weekend. Leftover food such as bread, buns, salads, hot dogs, hamburgers, water and soda were among likely items to be collected through the track’s catering department to distribute to agency partners, said Paul A. Hesler, president and chief executive officer of the food bank. He believes this is the fifth year food has been collected at the race. “Visibility really is the key for us,” he said as he stood next to a refrigerated truck parked near the Glen Club where collected items were to be deposited. “We’ve picked up as early as Sunday night and as late as sometimes Monday, when they have a lot of stuff they’re trying to manage,” Hesler said. The collected food items will be taken to the food bank’s warehouse and go into freezers and coolers or onto dry racking and then get distributed to any of the 200 or so agencies that want them in the six counties served by the food bank, he said. Partners include food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and programs for youths and seniors. Food is collected during the IRL IndyCar Series weekend in July and at the Nextel Cup weekend, he said. The yearly total can range anywhere from 1,000 pounds to 5,000 pounds, he said. The food bank projects it will distribute 6 million pounds or more of food this year in Chemung, Steuben, Schuyler, Tioga, Tompkins and Broome counties. The track collection came about after food bank officials were introduced to WGI President Craig Rust and other WGI officials by Lorie Gerstel, owner and president of Noah’s Ark in Corning. Gerstel has been a big supporter of the food bank for a long time, Hesler said.(Elmira Star Gazette)(8-13-2007)
