9Cares Colorado Shares shatters records

DENVER - Bucking an otherwise gloomy economic climate, Coloradans generously dug deep in their cupboards and pockets.

On a crisp, sunny autumn Saturday, thousands of people across Colorado joined in the 26th annual 9Cares Colorado Shares Holiday Drive, giving more than 440,000 pounds of food and more than $111,300: the most successful 9Cares Colorado Shares in its long history of community service.

9NEWS President and General Manager Mark Cornetta said, "It speaks volumes for the people of Colorado that in these difficult economic times, so many people would give so much of themselves in food and clothing to those in such great need. The generosity we saw on Saturday was nothing short of amazing."

So great was the influx of food, three of the five metro area sites needed additional semi-trailers to hold it all. Other sites also ran out of 9Cares boxes due to the overwhelming number of donations.

At the Inverness site, the food collection leader reported an average of one car every nine seconds throughout the day, with wait-times to unload between 40 minutes and an hour.

A total of 10,873 cars visited all five metro area sites.

Since the first drive in March 1983, the drive has grown from a modest food drive with a single collection site at the old 9NEWS Building at Bannock and 11th to the largest one-day food, clothing, and toy drive in our region, with about 30 sites across the state.

Below is a breakdown of the results we've received so far:

Preliminary grand total: 440,000 pounds (220 tons of food, a 13 percent increase from 2007), $111,300, a 35 percent increase from 2007.

Metro Denver: 323,150 pounds, $68,581 -Inverness: 84,200 pounds, $13,918 -Westin Westminster: 78,600 pounds, $16,072 -Southwest Plaza: 67,300 pounds, $18,447 -9NEWS: 50,350 pounds, $10,262 -Town Center at Aurora: 42,700 pounds, $9,882 -9Cares Corporate Challenge: 35,415 pounds, $10,588

All 25 other Front Range sites collected more than 72,000 pounds of food and more than $11,000 in cash contributions.

9Cares believes that items donated in a community should stay in that community. Food collected in the metro area is now being sorted by volunteers at COMPA Food Bank Ministry and will be distributed to the more than 90 food banks in the 9Cares networks. Outside the metro area, individual food banks host the 9Cares drive, and then keep all the food they collect. Clothing was collected by ARC Thrift and Goodwill, which will in turn provide local clothing banks with vouchers. Toys collected will be distributed to families in need by the Denver Santa Claus Shop and its affiliates.

We would also like to thank all of the companies that make 9Cares possible. The following is a list of our sponsors: 7-Eleven Beaujo's Colorado Style Pizza Coca-Cola Colorado Motor Carrier Services Division Deline Box Company King Soopers Neway Packaging Corporation S & B Portable Restrooms Waste Connections of Colorado Welch Equipment