Durham Farms’ residents collect, donate 12,000 pounds of food during “Battle of the Streets” food drive
September 15th, 2021
Original article by Katie Nixon for The Tennessean >
Residents of Durham Farms recently banded together to collect food items for the Sumner County Food Bank.
More than 4,000 food items were collected over the span of three weeks, totaling about 12,000 pounds of food and marking the drive as the largest in Durham Farms’ history.
It was also the third largest donation to the Sumner County Food Bank over the last year, officials said.
The “Durham Farms Cares” neighborhood food drive united the community in more ways than one, and saw teams of neighbors competing to see who could collect more food items for the drive.
“I love being a part of Durham Farms Cares,” resident Ladeana O’Grady said.
A former Georgia resident of 30 years, O’Grady said she was afraid she wouldn’t find a place to belong in Sumner County.
“Durham Farms Cares gives me a social connection and it allows me to lend a helping hand to others while getting to know my neighbors,” she said.
“I was blown away by this community during the food drive. The friendly desire to ‘one up’ each other really fueled the incredible response and added some fun to a very worthwhile project. We will have many more opportunities for Durham Farms’ residents to give back, and I am looking forward to witnessing again just how great my neighbors are at coming together.”
Durham Farms’ community philanthropic club, “Durham Farms Cares”, partnered with the Sumner County Food Bank for the drive, aptly named “Battle of the Streets”.
Following the drive’s success, Durham Farms’ Lifestyle Director Louis Holstein organized a volunteer day with the county’s food bank, packaging food boxes that will go on to feed more than 600 families.
“My goal for Durham Farms Cares was twofold: First, to do good within our masterplan and in the surrounding areas, (and) secondly, we wanted to build community among our residents,” Holstein said.
“I’m happy to report both have occurred! The food drive was so successful because we had residents who were fully bought-in to the cause and were willing to encourage their neighbors to care about it, too. We are thrilled with the response.”