Auto Club, Dealer Help Food Bank | News, sports, jobs

Employee Photo / Dan Pompili Greenwood Chevrolet employees Taylor Tomsich (left), Mike O’Brien (center) and Tim DeMain transport donated food from loaded Chevy truck beds into a box bound for the Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley on Tuesday should be brought. Thousands of dollars worth of food was donated last month by the Mahoning Valley Corvette Club as well as Greenwood employees and customers. Greenwood also donated $25,000 to the food bank.

AUSTINTOWN – When it comes to getting food to those in need, one form of transportation is as good as another.

However, a few local donors decided a little style wouldn’t hurt and filled a Corvette and a couple of shiny new Chevrolet trucks with hundreds of pounds of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Mahoning Valley.

The effort began at the Mahoning Valley Corvette Club and ended at Greenwood Chevrolet, where Glen Greenwood thought it might also be nice to add a check for $25,000.

“We decided to make it a fun little competition,” said Greenwood CEO Tracy Briden.

After the Corvette Club came up with the idea of ​​making a large donation, members reached out to Greenwood for help. Five weeks ago, the club filled a Corvette several times, said President Sam Sicilia. Then they brought everything to Greenwood and split it between two Chevy Silverados and a Chevy Colorado.

Sicilia said the club made $10,800 in donations to local charities in 2023 and will exceed $11,000 this year.

From then on, Greenwood’s body shop, service, parts, and sales departments competed to see who could fill their designated truck first. Their families helped, as did Greenwood’s customers.

“The goal was if we could finish and fill all three trucks, Greenwood Chevrolet would donate $25,000 to (Second Harvest),” Briden said. “I think that’s amazing for the lives and the families that we’re going to touch.”

On Tuesday, all three were overflowing with all kinds of food.

Second Harvest spokeswoman Renee Fuller said they will measure each truck’s donation volume to determine which truck won.

“As it stands, I think everyone won,” Briden said.

Fuller said the need is great in the Mahoning Valley and the food and money will go a long way.

“The need always increases during the holidays, and the $25,000 alone represents 125,000 meals for the Mahoning Valley region,” she said. “If we add up this food, it will be an astronomical amount.”

Fuller said that through donations like this, the food bank is able to provide families with more than just basic necessities, allowing them to check items off their shopping list and spend their money for even longer.

“Thank you for the kindness between all the employees here in Greenwood, their families, the customers … and the Mahoning Valley Corvette Club,” she said. “What a world of difference. We are so grateful.”

After representatives spoke, Greenwood employees helped load the food into large boxes, which were then loaded onto a large Second Harvest box truck for transport to their main location.