5th Annual “Help Feed The Leatherman” Food Drive

The volunteer food drive “Help Feed The Leatherman” collected 1,144 pounds of food donations for the Community Center of Northern Westchester food pantry in at the Loop in 2012. This brings the four year total of food donations to over 2,500 pounds with the totals growing each year.

This year the food drive organizer, David Ceisler, is unable to make it to the Loop. But his son Sam Ceisler, a student at John Jay High School and helper these past 4 years is taking on this year’s food drive. Sam (pictured below from the first year of the food drive) will be set up near the showmobile on the morning of the Loop. Please remember to bring some food donations! List of needed items is below.

Why a food drive? The Old Leatherman came to the same places on such a regular schedule that people “could set their clocks by his arrival.” In each community he passed, the Leatherman had identified a home or two where he knew friendly people would provide food whenever he appeared. Some residents would set plates of food out for him when he was expected, and the Leatherman would come by and clean the plate. We are asking our runners to “put the plate of food out” for the Leatherman.

People come the center every day in need of help. The Center’s mission is to improve the well-being of our neighbors. That is what many people years ago did for the Leatherman.

The Center is in need of

• Canned fruit and vegetables
• Dried and canned beans 
• Hot and cold cereal 
• Tuna and canned meat 
• Cans of soup, beef stew and chili 
• Pasta, rice and spaghetti sauce
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Fruit juice 
• Baby food and diapers 
• Dry or shelf-stable milk

This is not a requirement. Please help if you can. Thanks to David for conceiving this idea and thanks to Sam for gathering and getting the donations to the Community Center after the Loop.

To help you remember the donations: Put the cans or other items in your running shoes the night before (or on the drivers seat of your car!).

The Leatherman depended on the charity and kindness of strangers and neighbors. Let us extend the wonderful goodness and spirit of our loop, as we gather food for our neighbors.  THANKS for your generosity!