Photo by Virgil Shipley
Volunteers for Food for the Hungry are set for Saturday’s annual fund-raising drive. Pictured at City Hall, a drop-off point for food and money donations during the drive are, front row, from left, Major Bob Bender, The Salvation Army; Todd Huber, Time Warner Cable; Dave Bevington, BAS Broadcasting WMVO and Eagle 93.7 FM; John Nixon, Mount Vernon News; Sally Nelson, Nelson & Nelson, CPAs; Joe Rinehart, Mount Vernon Nazarene University; Marcy Rinehart, WNZR; Joy Harris, Interchurch Social Services. Second row, Matt Starr, I-Conn Video Production; Scott Swingle, I-Conn Video Production; Carrie Swingle, I-Conn Video Production; Kelly Smith, Fredericktown Interchurch Social Services; Debbie Guarnera, Centerburg Interchurch Social Services; Sue Wadian, Danville Interchurch Social Services; Sandy Rhoton, drive coordinator. Third row, Jan Schild, OSU Alumni Club; Lynne Ricard, Heritage Centre Association; Jenney Murray, co-host; Erin Ciarimboli, Kenyon College. Fourth row, Patrick Rhoton, Stanley Can; John Feltman, Knox County Career Center; Ginny Hubbard, Psi Iota Xi, John P. Ruckman, auctioneer.
MOUNT VERNON — Local media outlets will join together this weekend for the 29th annual Food For The Hungry drive to benefit The Salvation Army and Interchurch Social Services.
A live broadcast of all the day’s events begins Saturday at 9 a.m. and continues until 5:30 p.m. on 13WMVO (1300 AM) in Mount Vernon and Time Warner Cable throughout Knox County (channel 9 with set-top equipment; channel 6 without converter). This year’s broadcast will also be streamed live at www.FoodForTheHungryCares.org
The broadcast will originate from Mount Vernon City Hall.
Local radio personalities Dave Bevington of WMVO and Marcy Rinehart of WNZR will co-host the event. Jason & Jenney Murray, WMVO’s Adam Taylor and WNZR’s Joe Rinehart will also assist in hosting portions of the broadcast. I-CONN Video Production, the Mount Vernon Nazarene University video program and Time Warner Cable are donating production and technical support.
This year’s broadcast will feature two new auctions. The Heritage Center Association Auction will begin at 12:30 p.m. Businesses from downtown Mount Vernon have donated Christmas baskets with a wide range of unique items. The Knox County Career Center has also provided service certificates from their different programs. That portion of the auction will begin at approximately 3 p.m. Local auctioneers Jerry Scott and John P. Ruckman will join Bevington and Rinehart at City Hall for the event. Viewers and listeners at home will have the opportunity to join those on site to bid on the Christmas baskets and certificates.
There will be plenty of local entertainment throughout the broadcast, hosted by I-CONN’s Matt Starr and featuring performances from local musicians Jordan Shremshock, Kate Redfield, Jackie Hatch-Miller, Sarah Bertschy, Christa Hammond, the Bell Sisters — Erin, Megan, Leslie and Christine; and the Heritage Singers — Duane Barber, Cliff Davis, Joe Bell, Marty Bell, Erin Bell, Janet Reynolds, Laura Ackert, Emily Plummer, Alison Mills, Jack Kockenteit and Matt Starr.
This year’s elementary school drive winners will be recognized, along with the winner of this year’s Stanley Can Award.
At noon, a series of video features will be shown, highlighting the Mount Vernon Salvation Army’s freezer construction project, Interchurch volunteers and this year’s Zelkowitz Memorial Award winners Tim Hall and Don McDaniel from the Knox County Career Center. I-CONN will also provide a video feature on the new Heritage Center Association basket auction. Radio stations providing updates throughout the day from City Hall include WNZR 90.9 FM and Eagle 93.7 FM.
The eighth annual Food for the Hungry Shopping Cart Derby will start at 10:45 a.m. Teams from Time Warner Cable, Mount Vernon News, WNZR and WMVO/Eagle 93.7 FM will start from opposite ends of the city and push a shopping cart toward Public Square. The progress of the derby will be reported on all broadcast media.
For more information about this year’s drive or to donate online, log on to www.FoodForTheHungryCares.org.
