The 2023 Project Salina food drive collected just over 6,700 food items and over $110,000 in cash donations with more cash donations still coming in.

Although the number of food items collected has declined over the years, the amount of cash collected has dramatically increased.

Project Salina board members want to thank the citizens of Salina for their great response in helping to provide food for those that need it.

When Project Salina started in 1990, Project Salina collected food products for the Emergency Aid Food Bank, DVACK, Salvation Army, The Ashby House and the Salina Rescue Mission.

That one large food donation in May was all they got from Project Salina until the following year. Some years there were over 200,000 food items were coming into one place.

That large amount of food created problems for the agencies because they did not have room to store that amount of food. They also had to worry about getting the food distributed before the expiration dates. That is still the case and agencies still have trouble storing the large amount of food coming in all at once.

Over the past three years, the five agencies have had a dramatic increase in client numbers and they are struggling to keep food on the shelves for those that need it. They were struggling to make it through the year on one yearly donation and they needed more help. To better help the agencies, Project Salina has changed the way they help the five agencies and is asking participating businesses to switch to cash donations instead of product.

Project Salina now fills the needs of the agencies throughout the entire year. If an agency is running low on food, Project Salina purchases the food they need to keep their shelves full so they can continue to help those that need it. The agency picks the food up at the grocery store when it comes in and takes it directly to their warehouse.

Cash donations allow help  whenever they need it, not just in May.

If you would like to donate to Project Salina, you can send cash donations (make check out to Project Salina) year-round to Project Salina, PO Box 2861, Salina KS 67402-2861.

You can also take donations to Central National Bank (454 S. Ohio, by Water’s True Value). Please put “Kristina Litchman, Project Salina” on the envelope and note who the envelope is from so you can get credit for the deposit. You can drop it off in the drive through or take it inside.