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22nd Mayflower Marathon drive brings in food, money for local food banks

Posted at 11:10 AM, Nov 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-16 13:42:55-05

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – If you’re in the giving spirit this holiday season, now is your chance to help local families in need.

2018 Mayflower Marathon in Virginia Beach

Radio stations FM 99 and 106.9 The Fox are partnering with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore and the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank this weekend for the 22nd Mayflower Marathon.

The weekend-long annual food drive is the largest of the year for the food banks and provides meals through the end of the year and the beginning of the next.

“The radio station started this event 22 years ago because we realized there was a need,” said Sonja Morrell, Marketing Director for both FM 99 and 106.9 The Fox. “The food banks were not able to fill out all their partner agencies and give out the food they needed for Thanksgiving and the holidays beyond, so we began this event.”

The drive is set up at four locations around Hampton Roads: outside Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach, First Team Subaru Kia in Suffolk, Coliseum Marketplace at Coliseum Central in Hampton and the Kroger on Victory Boulevard in York County’s Tabb area.

“This is a time of year when people think about giving, but it’s also a time of year when we know folks who are struggling with hunger and putting food on the table so this really allows us to respond to that need,” said Tom Weiglein with the SEVA Foodbank.

Last year, Weiglein says the Mayflower Marathon brought in enough food and money to provide 667,000 meals; a record. They’re hoping for more this year.

The round-the-clock marathon food drive runs through 3 p.m. on Sunday. Volunteers on-site are accepting food, cash, checks and also credit cards.

Organizers say donations collected on the Peninsula and the Southside will feed families in their respective areas.

You can donate online on the SEVA Foodbank website and the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank website.