SESSER (WSIL) -- Hundreds of people lined up Thursday morning in Sesser for the city's last-scheduled food giveaway. Working with Cusumano & Sons, Inc., through an FDA grant, organizers say the giveaway has grown each week.
"There's a definite need in our community, and surrounding communities," explains volunteer Janette Dilliner on the giveaway's growth. "I mean this is a big deal. This is a big deal. I think last week I counted, I added up all the numbers and there was close to 700 different people--individual people that we fed."
The cars lined up more than an hour before the truck arrived, delivering several pallets of boxed-up supplies. Most in line were picking up food to take home, but many were there to help their neighbors.
Organizers say it was a bit surprising to learn how much of an impact the giveaways had on the community and the surrounding region.
"We do this every Thursday morning," says Betz Nowakowski, who runs Nowakowski Auction Services with her sister. They were both in their truck Thursday picking up for 25 different homes. "We deliver to Waltonville, Du Bois, Ashley, Radom, anybody that needs it, we just gather up the boxes and it's our Thursday morning to feel like we're doing something for somebody else."
They say they hope the funding is available to hold more giveaways, expressing they still see a need. "Everybody needs to do something good for somebody, if they do that, the world would be a lot better place."
Organizers are working toward funding more giveaways and will post that information to the as it becomes available. A mobile market with the will continue on the first Monday of each month, with the next one set for Monday, August 31st, because of the Labor Day holiday the following week.
