Another year of helping people for the AAM Goodfellows

Volunteers help pack Goodfellow baskets Dec. 17 at the Columbus Community Hall in Amherstburg.

Volunteers with the AAM Goodfellows were busy last Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning with the end result being people in need getting fed.

The Columbus Community Hall was brimming with activity last Wednesday afternoon as trucks were unloaded, tables lined with goods and then boxes filled for those who had registered for one.

AAM Goodfellows president Rick Murray counts the completed food baskets Dec. 17 at the Columbus Community Hall in Amherstburg.

The final number of boxes ended up being 90, up from the 73 that were registered as of Dec. 14.

“It’s going well. Paper sales were really good,” said AAM Goodfellows president Rick Murray.

Newspaper sales that occurred Dec. 12-13 raised over $15,000. The River Town Times and Huron Web Offset Printing helped contribute to the creation of the newspapers.

Murray said when it came time to pack baskets, a number of new faces came out to help. He was pleased to see that, especially the youth that turned out the evening of Dec. 17.

Volunteers form a line to bring potatoes into the Columbus Community Hall.

“They have to take over from us to keep this going,” he said. “We’re all getting older. The more that come out, the better it is.”

The Goodfellows teamed with Sobeys again this year to help with the groceries, with carts with boxes on top going up and down aisles between the tables getting filled with food.

The boxes get heavy, so Murray said he appreciates those who helped lift them.

Distribution of the food baskets occurred Thursday morning, also from the Columbus Community Hall.

By Ron Giofu