Denver, CO - Thousands of pounds of food and thousands of dollars in cash donations poured into locations across the front range last Saturday from thousands of Coloradans during the 2011 9Cares Colorado Shares summer food drive. 21 locations in eleven cities from Ft. Collins to Castle Rock combined to collect 82,716 pounds of food. As part of their 'Bringing Hope to the Table' campaign, King Soopers donated $80,000 to 9Cares, bringing this year's cash total to $97,587, a 754% increase from 2010. 9Cares will donate the money collected to buy food and restock depleted shelves at more than 125 local food banks distributed through FoodWorks Colorado.
A list of locations and their respective totals:
9Cares Road Trip (with Goodwill) - 11,633 pounds of food
9NEWS - 22,383 lbs.; $4,950 collected
Brighton - 2,000; $866
Castle Rock - 2,525 lbs.; $1,596
Conifer - 4,410 lbs.; $883
Elizabeth - 2,400 lbs.; $1,100
Evergreen - 2,400 lbs.; $400
Ft Collins - 2,350 lbs.; $460
Longmont - 5,553 lbs.; $618
Loveland - 1,100 lbs.; $438
Parker - 18,870 lbs.; $2,903
Weld Co. - 7,092 lbs.; $2,298
Giveo.com - (online donations) - $1,075
King Soopers - $80,000
In addition to Saturday's collection totals, 9Cares Colorado Shares used $100,000 in viewer contributions collected in last fall's 9Cares Colorado Shares drive to purchase even more food for local food banks.
The inaugural '9Cares Road Trip' in cooperation with Goodwill proved to be a rousing success. During the 9NEWS morning newscasts in the week leading up to Saturday's drive, 9NEWS anchor and business reporter Gregg Moss visited a number of local companies, collecting an additional 12,000 pounds of food for 9Cares.
9NEWS President and General Manager Mark Cornetta said, "9NEWS food drives serve a vital role in making our community better by helping those in need. We are fortunate to serve such a great viewing area with viewers who truly care about their neighbors."
For those who were unable to participate in the 9Cares Colorado Shares summer drive, contributions can still be made at participating front range King Soopers locations or online at Giveo.com.
(KUSA-TV © 2011 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)