Employees of ILPEA Industries in Hartselle donated over 30 cases of canned food to The Caring Day food drive on Nov. 1. The food will be distributed to needy families over the holiday season through The Caring Place and three local church food pantries. Pictured, from left, are Caring Day volunteers Glenn Coker, Charlie Oden and Joe Ed Tankersley and ILPEA representatives Jo Anne Woodall, HR director and Jason McCoy, plant manager. | Clif Knight.

Hundreds of needy families in the Hartselle area will benefits from the generosity of thousands who participated in this year’s Hartselle Day of Caring.

Canned and nonperishable food items inundated The Caring Place on Friday as filled blue recycling bins arrived from schools, churches, businesses and residential curbsides.

The number of food items collected totaled 8,200,or about 600 fewer than last year..

Bethel Baptist School students bagged the food (10 items per bag) to facilitate its division among The Caring Place and food pantries at First Assembly of God, First Church of the Nazarene and First United Methodist Church.

“If not for their help, it would take our volunteers several days to sort the food and and bag it up for distribution,” said Virginia Alexander, director of The Caring Place.

Cash donations received for the purchase of hams and turkeys totaled over $1,000.

“We’re so thankful to the many volunteers who help each year as well as each donor,” said Susan Siebert, project coordinator. “Their generosity will ease the pain of many hurting families.”

Among the volunteers are personnel of the Hartselle Schools, Hartselle Public Works and The Caring Place Volunteers.

The food will be distributed from The Caring Place and the three participating churches prior to the Thanksgiving holiday.