For Immediate Release
Date: December 21, 2012

City of Savannah employees today stepped up in a big way to help those in need this holiday season, donating more than 21,000 pounds worth of canned goods to America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia during the first ever Great Savannah Canned Food Drive.

About two dozen City vehicles packed full with more than 12,000 cans lined up in front of the Civic Center this afternoon for a news conference attended by City employees, Mayor Edna Jackson and members of City Council.

“I am so proud of our City employees today,” Mayor Jackson said. “They dedicate themselves to protect and improve the lives of our citizens, so it shouldn’t surprise me that they rose to this occasion. But I still amazed at this display.”

Acting City Manager Stephanie Cutter worked with Mayor Jackson to devise the weeklong Great Savannah Canned Food Drive after hearing about heavy demand placed on local food banks this holiday season. Cutter launched a competition amongst the City’s eight bureaus to see which would contribute the most. While donation numbers were still being tabulated Friday afternoon, participation was heavy across the City organization, from the Fire and Police departments to the bureaus of Sanitation; Water Resources and Public Works; Management Services; and Public Facilities, Events and Services.

Following the news conference, the City vehicles caravanned to America’s Second Harvest Food Bank, where the donations weighed in at 21,432 pounds – enough to provide 16,614 meals.

“We appreciate the City of Savannah from the bottom of our hearts,” said Mary Jane Crouch, Executive Director of America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. “There are 147,000 people who live without food safety in Coastal Georgia, and for these people you have made the holidays so much brighter.”