Carson City Toyota to hold 'drive-thru' food drive on Wednesday

Friends In Service Helping provides support to families and people in need by providing food, instruction, shelter and health care. During this crisis, their work in the community is more important than ever.

“Right now, the meals we distribute via our food bank are up 50 percent compared to the week prior to the shut down,” said Jim Peckham, Executive Director of FISH. “People who were able to get SNAP (food stamp) benefits, now rely on local food banks to make ends meet as they try to get through this storm.”

As orders have been extended through April 30 for non-essential businesses to remain closed, unemployment rates continue to rise across the Silver State. More families than ever are relying on the services of local resources like FISH to help them get by.

The team at Carson City Toyota heard about the rising need of food and services for our community and wanted to do something to help.

“We’ve been in this community for 40 years, and we know the value of supporting each other in times of need” said Jeff Campagni, general manager at Carson City Toyota. “We have been partnering with FISH for years, and we are honored to help support them now in whatever small way we can through the important work they do for local residents.”

Carson City Toyota donated $6,000 last week to support the increased demand for food and meals. With the current situation having a rippling impact, Peckham said they need every penny to help support their mission.

“We’ve had to cancel our biggest fundraisers of the year that were scheduled for early May. We also have had to close the doors to our Thrift Store, which is a large source of our community-funded model. This donation truly couldn’t have come at a more necessary time.”

Campagni and Dana Whaley, who was the general manager at Carson City Toyota for over 35 years and recently retired, wanted to do more. “Hearing about the tremendous increase for our local families – we had to do something, added Whaley. “A ‘drive-thru’ food drive was something we had seen other places using, as it allows FISH to still collect much-needed resources without placing a heavy burden or risk on their staff or the community.”

On Wednesday, April 15, Carson City Toyota will host a “Drive by Donation” Food Drive at their building 2590 S. Carson Street.

Whaley says, “If you're able and willing to make a donation next Wednesday, we are going to have you simply drive by the front [of Carson City Toyota] and drop your items. We will have FISH volunteers on site, so you don’t even have to step foot out of your car. Anything you can do is very much appreciated.”

The drive will go on from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To learn more, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CarsonCityToyota.