MACON, Ga. — The Middle Georgia Community Food Bank say more 85,000 people in Central Georgia can't consistently put healthy food together for their families.
As we head into the holiday season, where many plan to gather around the table, local businesses are working to help these families receive a meal.
Since September, the donation bucket at Pactiv Evergreen has quickly filled up.
"From all the way to the top, all the way down to the people that work on the line, everyone wants to get involved and get engaged and give back to the communities," Matthew Loughbridge said.
Employees have brought in 10 pounds of food each for their company-wide Give Back campaign. Loughridge says it's a small price for a large benefit.
"For people that need it and for people that are hurting with inflation and everything that's going on today, it's really nice to take a little bit and give back and make a huge impact on people's lives," Loughbridge said.
Janeen Brown says this initiative is close to her heart since she was once in need.
"It was just me, my mom, and my sister. We dealt with food insecurity, we dealt with living kind of in poverty for a long time in the big city, and it was pretty difficult. I just remember people looking out for us and doing for us, and so for me, it's always been, I want to do that," Brown said.
This is the second year of their campaign, and Brown says she's seen generosity spread in the workplace.
"Now all I get is we want to do more. So what was the incentive, we ignited the spirit of volunteerism," she said.
Reginald Davis says they hope to keep a donation bucket around. "I hope we can keep doing it, anything to help out. That's what we're all about. Teamwork."
The over 2,000 pounds of food the employees at Pactiv collected will be delivered to the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank.
"We're able to make that food available to almost 200 partner agencies that we have," Kathy Mccollum, President of the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank, said.
She says donations help them make well-rounded meals.
"Individually {it} may not seem like a lot to individual donors, but they mean so much when we are able to put them together," McCollum said.
McCollum says they are always looking for more businesses as partners. To donate non-perishable items:
You can drop off donations at their warehouse at 4490 Ocmulgee E Blvd, Macon, GA 31217.
You can make a monetary donation here.