Businesses help restock food pantries as Project Salina begins next month

For more than 30 years each May, businesses have been taking part in Project Salina as it works to achieve its mission, to restock food pantries in the area as supplies run low during the summer.

Project Salina benefits five agencies in Salina, the Ashby House, Domestic Violence Association of Central Kansas (DVACK), Emergency Aid Food Bank, Salina Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army. It provides food for these agencies as they help the citizens of Salina and central Kansas.

"The original people who founded Project Salina saw that, in this time of the year, a lot of the agencies'...(food) shelves were getting empty," said Mike Paul, the president of the board of directors for Project Salina.

Paul said many nonprofit organizations get a lot of donations at the end of the year around the winter holiday season, but as the summer months begin and the school year finishes up, those donations start to dwindle.

"The needs increase this time of the year, but (the agencies) didn't really have anything to promote to get the shelves filled up," Paul said.

To help with this, the idea of partnering with local businesses to collect food products turned into Project Salina, which now happens each year throughout the month of May.

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Monetary donations collected too

As Project Salina has grown over the years, the needs of the benefiting agencies have changed as well, and now the campaign collects monetary donations on top of food products.

"If, all of the sudden, you inundate all the agencies with all these canned goods and such, they start having storage (issues)," Paul said. "So, now we are encouraging monetary (gifts)."

Paul said while Project Salina won't turn away food product donations, monetary donations are preferred because that money can be used in smart ways.

"We can buy in bulk and get a little bit of a better price (for food products)," he said.

In addition to having better purchasing power than individuals, Paul said Project Salina can also use the monetary donations to better spread out the needs of the agencies.

"This way the agencies, especially some of the smaller ones...don't have a bedroom (or other necessary room) full of product," Paul said.

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Businesses and organizations taking the lead in Project Salina

While other food drives in the community encourage individuals to help, Project Salina focuses on getting businesses and organizations to collectively donate.

"It's a different drive than just going out to the public and saying, 'hey, we're here,'" Paul said. "It's really interesting to see the businesses really get involved."

At its peak, more than 200 businesses in the community have participated, with each finding their own unique way to raise funds or collect items.

Project Salina's website gives several ideas for businesses to get enthusiasm generated for collecting and Paul said many of them begin thinking early about how they'll participate.

"I work for Blue Beacon and...they're already gearing up, trying to hype everybody up to beat last year's donation," Paul said.

Additionally, churches, nursing homes and other organizations take part each year, with many encouraging their members to donate one specific food item.

Participate throughout May

Collection of money and food items for Project Salina begins May 1, but to get these businesses and organizations ready, interested and excited to help, a kick-off event is happening at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 20, at Sunrise Presbyterian Church, 825 E. Beloit Ave.

"It gives them the chance to ask any other questions. We give them materials (like) posters and things like that to help them promote it," Paul said. "Then we have each one of the (five) agencies give a little talk, telling them how Project Salina is benefiting them (and telling) them their needs."

With hundreds of businesses participating, many people in the community will have an opportunity to donate through their place of employment, but they can also donate monetarily via PayPal at www.projectsalina.com, send a check (payable to Project Salina) to Project Salina, PO Box 2861, Salina, KS 67402-2861 or take cash or checks to Central National Bank, 454 S. Ohio St. and place Kristina Litchman, Project Salina on the deposit envelope.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina businesses look to restock food pantries as supplies dwindle