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BELLEFONTE -- It's no secret that Centre County is full of individuals who do their part to help the community as a whole, but there are always a few individuals and organizations who stand out among the rest.
Mayor Gene "Buddy" Johnson had two proclamations during this week's Bellefonte Borough meeting involving two organizations' commitment to the community.
"Every year on the second Saturday in May, letter carriers across the country collect non-perishable food as part of the nation's largest one-day food drive, distributing the donations to local food banks," said Johnson.
The Letter Carrier's Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is just one example of how letter carriers work to make a difference in the lives of those they serve, said Johnson.
Since the initiative was held in 1991, more than 1.82 billion pounds of food have been collected.
"All of the food collected in our community stays in our community, and we support carriers' efforts to help those in need in our community. We also recognize the noteworthy milestone of 31 years that the National Letter Carrier Food Drive celebrates in 2023," said Johnson.
Johnson encouraged citizens in the community to support the food drive by placing non-perishable food items in or near their mailbox on food drive day.
"Together, we can all help to feed our hungry (citizens)," said Johnson.
Donald Townsend, a United States Postal Service employee, was invited to receive the proclamation, and thanked everyone for their support, "As everyone knows, food insecurity continues to be a problem, especially after those last couple of years we've had. We weren't able to collect because of the pandemic but it's nice to be able to start again."
The next proclamation was dedicated to Centre Gives, with Kerry Tolton, Development and Stewardship Director, in attendance.
Centre Gives was established in 2012 as a 36-hour online giving event, intended to bring attention to local nonprofits and provide a platform for them to raise money and impart fundraising best practices.
The event has invested over $14,600,000 since 2012 into the local nonprofit network, and has provided operational support to missions of many kinds.
The arts, animals, education, environment and health and social services have all benefited from the event.
Centre Gives began with 74 local nonprofits, and now 200 organizations will be participating in the twelfth year.
The community has made over 100,000 gifts during the combined 396 total hours for the online event.
Johnson has invited members of the community to visit CentreGives.org, beginning at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 10, to donate to your favorite nonprofit organizations.
May 10-11 was proclaimed as "Centre Gives Days" in the county, and Johnson encourages all citizens to give back to the community in any way that is personally meaningful.
Tolton reminded the borough council and the audience that on May 11, Centre Gives will be having their "Centre Gives Fest" in Talleyrand Park.
They will be celebrating the final hours of Centre Gives with an in-person event from 5:30-9 p.m., and will feature music from DJ Elbow Knee Knee and OK Otter.
The event will also include food vendors such as Pizza Mia, Savory Station and a variety of family friendly activities.
This event will take place rain or shine.