The Food Bank recently welcomed a leader in the community for a special Leader of the Pack event.
More than 100 employees of Corning Inc. came together to help the Food Bank in a couple of important ways.
The Leader of the Pack event saw 10 teams compete to pack bags used for the Food Bank’s BackPack™ Program – which supplies weekend food for students in every district in our six-county service area – in the fastest time.
Donations from the event brought in just over $91,000, an extension of the generosity Corning Inc. employees have shown to the Food Bank over the years.
“Partnering with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier fits perfectly with the Corning Foundation’s mission to enhance and sustain vibrant Corning communities,” says Corning Foundation President Andrea Lynch. “The goals of the Corning Leader of the Pack were to raise funds, educate employees on food insecurity in the region, and have fun volunteering with colleagues on-site at the Food Bank.”
Coached by Food Bank staff, the teams raced against the clock to see who could be the quickest to pack a total of 720 bags.
It’s All Legal posted a time of 54 minutes and 18 seconds to win the title, followed by Together We Serve and Backpack Snack Packers.
Working closely with Corning Inc. and the Corning Foundation is a natural extension of the long history between the organizations, says Chief Development Officer Meghan Parsons.
“We’ve had a relationship with the Corning Foundation for decades,” Meghan adds. “The part I love most about this event is the opportunity it presents to strengthen that relationship with Corning Incorporated folks as volunteers, advocates, and donors.”
Volunteers are a critical component of the Food Bank’s mission. The 12,700 volunteer hours served in 2022 is the equivalent of 15 staff positions.
You can read this and other stories from around the Southern Tier in our quarterly newsletter, The Harvester, on our website.