By Michael Gelbwasser
Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – An Ocean State Job Lot tractor-trailer brought 40,000 pounds of donations to the Worcester County Food Bank on Route 9 in Shrewsbury ?March 25.
“It's Christmas in March,” food bank Executive Director Jean McMurray said.
“It translates into just over 17,000 meals. For us to get this kind of support, we would have to get it from multiple sources,” she said.
Ocean State Job Lot will donate $1.4 million in food to food banks in New England and in New York this year, “the largest single food donation of its kind by a private company in New England,” company officials said in a press release.
The truck arriving in Shrewsbury was among 15 that left Ocean State's North Kingstown, R.I. warehouse on March 25 carrying 600,000 pounds of donations, company officials said.
“It's the largest donation in a single day to all food banks in New England,” McMurray said.
“It's also the largest for this time of year. We don's normally get a tractor-trailer load of food from a donor like this.”
Ocean State Job Lot Chicopee store manager Paul Orban, who was representing the company at the Shrewsbury donation event, said the company has supported food banks for 11 years.
The company collected $1.3 million in customer donations during the recent holiday season, he said.
“It's a sense of pride that I work for an organization that's willing to help other people throughout the community that are in need,” he added.
Photos/Michael Gelbwasser