MOUNT VERNON — ‘Tis the season for giving to and loving thy neighbor, and no event in Knox County represents those acts of service better than the annual Food for the Hungry (FFTH) drive.
In the initiative’s 44th year, volunteers grew closer to the goal of $340,000 and as much non-perishable food as possible by raising a total of $260,465 and 12.5 truckloads of food thus far, Marcy Rinehart of WNZR said during Friday’s live broadcast.
Since launch day on Nov. 7, volunteers have been collecting food at many drop-off locations across Knox County and highlighting individuals and businesses boosting the cause.
Ten designated drop-off locations were open across the county from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., eight of them at grocery stores.
Friday’s 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. broadcast kicked off on center stage at the Knox Memorial Theater with Rinehart and WMVO’s Curtis Newland co-hosting as they welcomed guests, presented grants and accepted donations.
On behalf of FFTH, Rinehart and Newland presented 24 groups that fight food insecurity with a variety of checks for a total of $65,000 in grants awarded.
Outside the theater, folks converted part of High Street into a roadside food-donation site while volunteers collected money and WNZR’s Joe Rinehart interviewed more people involved in FFTH.
The initiative’s marketing director, Olivia Greenich Stern, said FFTH is about $50,000 ahead of last year’s drive at the same time.
However, FFTH’s fight against food insecurity isn’t over and will continue through Dec. 31. The annual Snowflake Gala takes place on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Kenyon College.
Knox Pages is attending the gala, weather permitting, and will feature a story recapping the event on Sunday.
A timeline to the goal
Before the first hour of the broadcast was over, the Salvation Army’s Captain Christine Moretz received the Stephen W. Zelkowitz Memorial Award and a $10,000 grant from FFTH for her exemplary service in the Knox County community.
Moretz was “honored and humbled” by the surprise and simply said, “To God be all the glory.”
Minutes after honoring Moretz and taking a closer look at Centerburg and Danville’s Park National Bank wreath auction items, WNZR gave the first total update: $118,682.
Donations started to climb in the second hour, with a $5,000 donation from the Knox County Foundation and a $2,000 donation from Joe Mortellaro and McDonald’s.
Yet it was Ariel Corporation’s David Stuller who really got the donation ball rolling, pledging $10,000 and sharing a brief moment of reflection about the late Karen Buchwald Wright.
“[Karen Buchwald Wright’s] legacy will live on because of Ariel Corporation; that goes way beyond her passing,” Stuller said.
At 10:40 a.m. FFTH’s total sat at $138,172.
Commander Steve Lybarger of the VFW 4027 represented his service club when Marcy Rinehart recognized the group during the service club presentation. Lybarger also mentioned the club contributed around $10,000 this year to FFTH.
Grant presentations and guest presentations continued throughout the late morning, leading to a $173,196 and 5.5 truckloads of food by noon.
A timeline to the goal, continued
Things continued to snowball for the nonprofit as the drive reached $193,767 and 7.5 truckloads of food a little after 1 p.m., and FFTH board member Melanie Snow spoke about the turnout so far at the Knox Memorial Theater drop-off spot.
Snow said a lot of people said they were sorry for not bringing more food, but she said it doesn’t matter how much you bring because that’s still a meal someone didn’t have before.
Clearly, Snow’s words carried some weight to listeners and viewers of the broadcast because FFTH cracked the $200,000 mark and 7.5 truckloads of food around 2 p.m.
At the top of the 2 o’clock hour, Mount Vernon Mayor Matt Starr, Gambier Mayor Leeman Kessler and all three Knox County commissioners shared what FFTH means to them.
Kessler and the commissioners shared proclamations, with the commissioners’ legislation designating Dec. 12, 2025, as Food for the Hungry Day in Knox County.
Commissioner Drenda Keesee also donated $1,000 just before the proclamation.
Next, students from the Knox County Career Center shared stories about the ways their different programs competed and raised money and food for FFTH.
Through all the KCCC’s efforts, including the sales of themed baskets from an auction, the center raised $9,857.84 for FFTH, putting the total at $220,129 and 9 truckloads of food at around 2:45 p.m.
The next big jump came right at the end of the broadcast when Debbie Ruggles from the Psi Iota Xi sorority spoke about the group’s elementary school collections.
Ruggles reported that classrooms from Mount Vernon, the Knox Learning Center, Centerburg, Danville and East Knox schools raised over $18,000 for FFTH.
Shortly after the sorority’s report, the wreath sales from the Park National Bank locations in Centerburg and Danville were added to the total, with Danville adding about $250 and Centerburg chipping in around $650.
The final total after FFTH’s live broadcast from Knox Memorial Theater was $260,465 and 12.5 truckloads of food.
Below is a gallery of photos taken during the Food for the Hungry’s live broadcast at Knox Memorial Theater on Friday.
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