Howard University’s radio station collects $70,000 during holiday food drive

(WASHINGTON) – Despite predictions that people would be less giving this year, donations poured in Thursday, Nov. 20 the Old Post Office Pavilion for the “Annual WHUR 96.3FM and WHUR-WORLD HD2 Food2Feed Thanksgiving Drive.” Volunteers fanned out across 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. collecting monetary donations and non-perishable items. When the day ended, the Howard University owned and operated radio stations collected more than $70,000 in monetary donations along with 15-thousand pounds of canned goods.
The donations were turned over to the Capital Area Food Bank, the largest public nonprofit hunger and nutrition education resource in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The Capital Area Food Bank will used the funds from the “Food2Feed” radiothon to purchase $60 gift cards from Giant Food to distribute to more than 1,000 disadvantaged families in the region, just in time for Thanksgiving.
It is estimated that there are more than 633,000 people in the region are at risk of, or experiencing hunger. “We know that hunger is not one of those problems we can solve with just one fundraiser. But with the generosity of our listeners and many corporate sponsors, the ‘Food2Feed’ radiothon will make this Thanksgiving a special one for many less fortunate families,” said WHUR General Manager Jim Watkins.
The success of the fundraiser was further ensured with the sponsorship of SunTrust Bank, McDonald’s, Verizon, Giant Food, and the BET Foundation. Each corporation provided volunteers, in-kind services, and donation.