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Snyder Kiwanis Club member Matt Lowry distributed beans and rice to recipients during Saturday's Goodfellows Food Drive give-away at The Coliseum annex.
One of Snyder’s newest residents spent Saturday morning lending a helping hand at one of the longest running community service projects.
For the past 70 years, the Snyder Kiwanis Club’s Goodfellows project has helped feed around 200 families during the Christmas season.
Cody Voyles, a Sherman native, moved to Snyder last week.
“I love this. I want to show the community love and the best way I can show it is by serving,” he said.
An annual event since 1949, the Snyder Kiwanis Club held its Goodfellows food giveaway Saturday morning.
Club Secretary/Treasurer Darryl Calley said 220 families qualified for assistance this year, although some of those families missed this year’s event, possibly because to Saturday’s snowy weather conditions.
“I’ve been a part of Kiwanis for 33 years and I like being a part of helping my neighbors in need,” Calley said. “It’s really a community effort and it wouldn’t work without everyone’s help.”
Calley said money donated at local banks was used to buy perishable food items from United Supermarket.
He said approximately $3,000 was donated this year and the club was able to buy 490 units of potatoes, beans, rice, flour, eggs and chickens for families.
Although money donations were down this year, 758 people still received assistance, he said.
Scurry County schools also participated in the project, collecting more than 10,000 canned goods.
Despite the snowy conditions, 25 volunteers were on hand Saturday morning, including Kiwanis Club members, juveniles from the STAR boot camp and members of Calvary Baptist Church.
Scurry County Jail trustys organized the 10,000 donated cans of food, preparing them for volunteers to distribute Saturday morning
In addition to the Goodfellows campaign, Snyder Kiwanis Club members organize and support several service projects each year.
Financial donation boxes will remain at all local banks through Christmas in order to help raise money for next year’s campaign.
Canned food not distributed Saturday will be donated to the Scurry County Food Cupboard for distribution to families.