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Welcome Walk & Knock Annual drive collects 142 tons of food so far to help Clark County residents in need

By Andrea Damewood
Published: December 6, 2009, 12:00am
4 Photos
zachary kaufman/The Columbian 
Emma Rose, 15, Aidan Rose, 9, and Grant Hobbs, 8, head out in freezing temperatures in search of food donations. They were the first links in a chain that will connect donated food to those in need.
zachary kaufman/The Columbian Emma Rose, 15, Aidan Rose, 9, and Grant Hobbs, 8, head out in freezing temperatures in search of food donations. They were the first links in a chain that will connect donated food to those in need. Photo Gallery

Unlike some of its brethren, the can of Progresso Hearty Chicken Rotini soup didn’t spend Friday night on someone’s front steps in the subfreezing temperatures, waiting to be scooped up by Inter-Service Walk & Knock volunteers in the morning.

Instead, the stout can was plucked from Doug Nichol’s pantry shortly after 9 a.m., tossed into a paper bag with a few others of its kind, and placed into the arms of 15-year-old Emma Rose.

The exchange was the start of this particular can’s journey Saturday, which would end with it being loaded into a warehouse with 142 tons of food donated so far during this weekend’s Walk & Knock drive, destined for those in Clark County who need it most. That was up significantly from last year’s Saturday total of 128 tons, though a few tons short of the record.

Giving food to fellow citizens during the holidays is a way to feel connected to the charity process, Nichols said.

“We feel good about doing it; it seems like there’s an immediate use of the gift and it’s not going through so many hands to get there,” said Nichols as he stood in the foyer of his Lake Shore home.

Nichols was right about the quick use: His can of Progresso will go to a Clark County food pantry Monday. And it won’t stay there long: The 141 tons of food collected in 2008 was exhausted in just four months.

However, the number of hands — and hearts — the 100-calorie-per-serving soup would touch is another matter.

Next stop for the can was the dusty blue minivan of Bryn Rose, who was shuttling her daughter, Emma, her son, Aidan, 9, Aidan’s Cub Scout buddy Grant Hobbs, 8, and Grant’s mom, Marija Hobbs.

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Spirits high, the kids scoured the doorways for goods, sprinting off into the freezing fog in hats and gloves to collect bags while the moms trailed in the car.

Their best finds? A box of cake mix, the world’s biggest bag of noodles and an overstuffed bag full of dried beans. (“Beans, beans, beans,” the boys chanted as they carried the heavy load, shortly before accidentally dropping it.)

“It’s like an Easter egg hunt for big bags of macaroni,” said Grant, who was volunteering for the first time, adding he enjoyed “walking around, getting to experience neighborhoods I’ve never seen before.”

Bryn Rose, who was in her sixth year participating with her kids in Walk & Knock, added a bit of perspective.

“This is probably one of the most important community service events the Cub (Scouts) participate in,” she said. “For some of the kids, this is the only community service they’re exposed to.”

Sufficiently buried under bags and boxes of donations, the Progresso next found itself at the Hazel Dell Fire District 6 station, where the minivan was swarmed by a group of folks eager to help unload.

Battle Ground resident Paul Monroe picked up the bag containing the soup, pivoting on his heels and walking a few steps, where he dumped it onto an overflowing table to be boxed up by other volunteers.

Monroe said he hopes the groups’ efforts top the 155-ton record sent in 2002.

“There’s more need this year, so we’re hoping to get more,” said Monroe, a member of the Salmon Creek Lions Club, which started the Walk & Knock a quarter-century ago.

Next, the can with the blue label was scooped up by Dillon, a 15-year-old whose last name could not be used because of his involvement in the juvenile court system.

A group of youth from Clark County Juvenile Justice joined the massive effort from service clubs, churches, youth groups and individuals from all over the area.

Dillon’s hours may have been compulsory, but he said that it was a good way to spend a Saturday morning as he palled around with other teens at his loading table.

“It’s been OK — we’re starting to get busy during the last hour,” he said, tossing the soup into a box, taping it shut, and handing it off to Clark County Juvenile Justice mentor Matt Cassidy.

Another mentor, Cody Shults, said the Walk & Knock is a great way to teach volunteerism.

“The great thing about this event is you can’t tell the difference between them and all the other members,” Shults said. “It’s a way to get them really tied into the community.”

Cassidy stood at the entrance to the tractor-trailer, smiling constantly despite the heavy boxes and frigid air.

“It’s an honor to be here,” he said, hopping into the massive trailer to stack boxes in the back. “Everyone is working for the greater good; it’s a nice cause.”

Upon hearing he was one of eight people so far to help see a single can of Progresso Hearty Chicken Rotini on its way to a hungry family, he replied, “It’s really cool to hear it quantified in that manner. It solidifies what I’ve been thinking about so many people getting involved: Many hands make the work easier to do.”

Andrea Damewood: 360-735-4542; andrea.damewood@columbian.com.

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