Governor’s Mansion hosts holiday food drive

The Share Your Christmas Food Drive at the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City on Friday experienced a steady stream of drive-through givers providing food and cash donations for the holidays.

New and returning volunteers welcomed the gifts with shopping carts to supply the trucks from Friends in Service Helping’s food banks and the Ron Wood Family Resource Center as drivers opened their cars or trucks to pass off their donations. Local credit unions, a homeschool group and news stations came out to support the drive.

First-time volunteer Susan Squires, retired principal of Carson City’s Empire Elementary School, said she enjoys being able to give to the community in events like the Share Your Christmas drive.

“I retired from the school district and it was one of these events that I always brought food to every year, so it was exciting to come down here and volunteer,” Squires said.

For others, like Ron Roberts, the food drive is an annual holiday tradition. Roberts, retired in Carson City, said he has seen the event take in foods like tuna, soups and pastas as well as toys for the holidays.

“I can’t stay at home and do nothing, so I donate my time at the museum and the Legislature and the Capitol,” he said. “It’s so much fun to see people. They’re so generous. They just give. It’s wonderful.”

Lane Meyer, FISH director of operations, said the event helps stock the nonprofit’s food shelves until its May food drive.

“We’re just overwhelmed by the generous support of the community to the FISH food banks not only here in Carson City but also in the Ranchos area where we can provide to our neighbors that are in need not only this holiday season but for the months to come until our May food drive with the postal season,” Meyer said. “This is one of our bigger drives that we have, and it’s going to resupply our shelves and hopefully it’s going to hold us over.”