Tri-City Fire Department Food Drive Challenge on January 27

There’s nothing wrong with a friendly rivalry among neighboring cities. The Tri-City Fire Department Food Drive Challenge, an event that has the fire departments of Mount Dora, Tavares and Eustis compete for the most food donations, is Saturday, January 27. Members of the public may drop off donations of non-expired canned goods and dry foods or cash/check contributions at one of three participating fire department locations.  All donations go to Lake Cares Food Pantry, a local nonprofit organization that provides food and other necessities directly to people in need in Lake County. 

Priority food donations include pasta, spaghetti sauce, soups, shelf-stable milk, baked beans, beans, chili, canned meats such as tuna, salmon, and chicken, baby food, fresh produce and fruit, in addition to non-food items such as shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, laundry and dish detergents, and diapers for babies and adults. 

The participating fire department locations are Eustis Fire Station 22 at 100 W. Norton Avenue, Mount Dora Fire Station 34 at 1300 N. Donnelly Street, and Tavares Fire Station 28 at 911 Gateway Drive.  Food donations can be dropped off between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.. 

“While encouraging a friendly rivalry among fire departments, the primary goal is to collect as much food as possible for the food pantry,” said Jim Dickerson, former Chief of Lake County Fire Rescue and the Community Service Chairman and President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Lake County Golden Triangle.  “After a surge in collections and distribution during the holidays, Lake Cares has to replenish food supplies because the needs of local children and adults continue to be immense,” he added.  The local Rotary Club has organized the event since 2021.

Last year during the four hours of the event, the three fire departments gathered a total donation of 6,312 pounds of food and $9,196 in cash contributions for the pantry. “We’re certain the Mount Dora and Tavares fire departments will be inspired by the previous successes of Eustis over the past three years,” Dickerson said. The Eustis department, in partnership with Lake Technical College, has collected the most food and monetary contributions every year to date.

In 2022, the Lake Cares Food Pantry served over 67,000 individuals and distributed  more than one million  pounds of food. The charity distributes food from their main pantry location in Mount Dora as well as seven additional sites throughout the county.  Lake Cares advises checking food for expiration dates. 

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