MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. — Valentine's Day can be a day for neighbor showing love to neighbor in Morgan County with the kickoff of the annual Barrels of Love food drive, celebrating ten years of service to the community. Each year, members of the public can pick up donation boxes at the United Way of Morgan County, located at 115 1st Avenue NE in Decatur, and fill them to the brim with non-perishable food items.
Donated items will then go to food pantries at the Salvation Army of Decatur, the Committee on Church Cooperation, as well as backpack feeding programs for Decatur City and Morgan County school systems.
Items you can contribute must be shelf-stable and include:
- peanut butter
- canned meats
- soups/ramen
- grits
- pasta
- pop-top canned goods
- individually wrapped foods
- drink boxes
- canned fruit/vegetables
- flour
- sugar
- cooking oil
For safety purposes, glass items are not accepted. Barrels of Love asks that donors return a minimum of six items. If you would like to print out or email a flyer to help spread the word, click here.
Donations will be accepted through March 3, with a celebratory event on the closing day from 8 a.m. to noon at Ingalls Harbor Pavilion.
Founding companies Daikin and Toray launched the Barrels of Love program in 2013. Event leaders said more than 100,000 items have been donated in each of the past several years.
Organizers also wish to thank nut product manufacturer Blue Diamond for being what they call "an instrumental partner" of the program.
For more details and resources regarding the drive, visit the event's Facebook page.
