DPD collects over 5,000 cans in food drive

Chief Danny Watson says the Darlington Police Department’s canned food drive has garnered thousands of donated items from the community. All collected food will go toward feeding the county’s senior citizens through the Council on Aging.

By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net

Pallets packed with thousands of cans of food crowd the hallway and basement at the Darlington Police Department, a testament to the generosity of the local community. DPD Chief Danny Watson said that when the call went out in April for food donations to help feed seniors in need, Darlington’s citizens and businesses stepped up in a major way.

With a current tally of 5,370 cans collected and hundreds more pledged by donors, Watson says the food drive quickly surpassed the original target of 3,000 cans. And since the total keeps growing, Watson now hopes the final figure will more than double his initial goal.

“This has turned out to be pretty good,” says Watson. “It’s really taken off… we’ve had such a great response that it’s just been overwhelming.”

Large donations from local businesses have helped bolster the count, with McCall Farms giving 1,200 cans, Darlington High School’s JROTC giving 1,400 cans, Mayo Magnet High School for Science, Math, and Technology giving 400 cans, and the Darlington Raceway donating 440 cans.

Organizing spring and summer charity drives is nothing new for the DPD; over the past few years, the department has collected and distributed hundreds of box fans to help folks cope with the heat, and they’ve built numerous wheelchair ramps for county residents with disabilities. Watson says this canned food drive was spurred on by Community Relations Officer Sgt. Dominick Robinson, who learned of the continuing need to feed hundreds of housebound and disabled seniors through the Darlington County Council on Aging’s Meals-on-Wheels program.

“The number of people that we’ll be able to help through the Council on Aging is the most important thing,” says Watson.

The Council on Aging delivers meals to registered seniors each weekday around noon. They also serve group-dining meals to seniors at four nutrition centers in Hartsville, Darlington, Society Hill, and Lamar. Transportation to the centers can be arranged through the Council.

For citizens, businesses, churches, or service clubs interested in helping the DPD canned food drive, Watson says donations both large and small are welcome.
“Anything you can give, just bring it by the police department. Even one can could help,” Watson says.

To learn more about programs offered through the Darlington County Council on Aging, contact them at (843) 393-8521 or drop by their main office at 402 Pearl Street in Darlington. To donate to the canned food drive, which ends June 30, drop off canned food items at the Darlington Police Department, located at 400 Pearl Street, or call (843) 398-4026.

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