Fallon food drive collects 23,000 pounds

The Fallon Police Department won this year’s Churchill County Holiday Food collection competition among the area’s first responders on Dec. 3 by receiving 6,506 pounds of goods.

The Fallon Churchill Volunteer Fire Department finished more than 1,000 pounds behind with 5,400 pounds for second place. The Churchill County Sheriff’s Office collected 5,060 pounds followed by Churchill County Search & Rescue with 4,360 pounds, Banner Churchill Emergency Medical Services with 1,600 pounds and Nevada State Police with 740 pounds.

The food drive was conducted in front of the Fallon Walmart.

Organizer Beth Riley said the annual food drive brought in a total of 23,666 pounds of food. She said families will have a turkey or ham on their table for Christmas thanks to the generosity of area shoppers who donated to the first responders of their choice.

Because of the food drive, Riley said 200 families will receive food every day for a year.

“If that doesn’t warm your heart, I don’t know what does,” she said. “Our community is amazing.”

The donated food will help residents in Churchill, Pershing, Lyon and Mineral counties. The local Toys for Tots program also collected toys and clothing at their table.

Riley said the program has resulted in 146,454 pounds of donated food since 2016.

In addition to thanking the local first responders and Walmart, Riley also thanked Walmart, Gold Gate Petroleum, Out of Egypt Food Panty, the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe and others.

“It may not seem a lot, but to 207 families, it means the world,” she said.