It's a bit bare inside Bishop Manogue's front office. Canned soup, tuna and vegetables sit among the trophies and honor certificates on the wall. It's just the beginning, but by the end of this 10-day food drive, they expect a few carloads of food just like last year…maybe truckloads if they're lucky. Even in at this upscale school, teachers like Kelly Schnaible know people in need. She knows "Close friends, and even some family that have lost their jobs, and so seeing that happen..."
Others know by how grateful the food recipients are. English teacher Anna Campbell told us, "The families are so affected when they get their basket of food for Thanksgiving, they write us these amazing letters about how they didn't know what they were going to have."
They've doing this Bishop Manogue food drive for many years now. So long ago, no one remembers exactly why it began. But so many gave last year, they ran out of space to put it all, filling not just the front office but also the chapel...and even some classrooms.
It's a story repeated across town at the south Reno Goodwill store. They tell us this is the biggest time of year for donations…people are cleaning out their closets for Christmas for one reason, but they also say there's something about the season that brings out the giving. Catching a break from a busy time at the donation table, Goodwill greeter Ivan Lopez told us, "It started picking up so bad, we're getting tons of donors…pretty busy up here where I'm at." Ivan says, unlike his last job at a Reno warehouse, this job at the donation table has given him an inside look into people's hearts. "They're all just...good people."
And outside in the parking lot, it's good timing for blood donations, with a Halloween theme. Standing in front of the Bloodmobile, Goodwill manager Dawn Tate told us, "all our team members are dressed up in costume. This is a good kind of blood drive. We're just having a lot of fun today." Of course, as many of us know, giving is fun.
-written by John Potter
