ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Many in the community are looking for some food assistance, and multiple entities and groups are stepping in to help, including Rapid Fit Health Club.
Rapid Fit Health Club Owner Jonathan Eikenberry said he wanted to find a way to help people while times are rough for many.
“As everyone is probably aware, local food banks are facing challenges to meet that increased need from the community, so to help with that, Rapid Fit Health Club will have a food drive drop off spot at the gym at 100 S. Virginia Ave., and everyone is welcome to bring donations to support fellow residents,” Eikenberry said. “Donations will be collected from Dec. 1 through 12, and everyone who brings something in will be entered into our drawing for some prizes. We're looking for protein-rich items like canned chicken, canned tuna, canned salmon and items like soups and other non-perishable items, and we'll be talking this up on our social media pages in the coming weeks.”
Eikenberry said it was a relatively easy decision to put the drive together.
“We've partnered with the Liberal Area Coalition for Families (LACF) on other things in the past, and with the way the economy is at the moment and the effects still being seen from the government shutdown and everything else, there was definitely a need,” Eikenberry said. “The LACF was looking at partnering with some other places in town and since we've worked with them in the past, we decided to reach out because we thought it would be a good way to give back to the community. This time of the year, with it being the holidays and everything, and with the way things are with the economy, there are a lot of people struggling and need some help, so I wanted to do something to help make a positive impact and would help people. I really just felt like it was something we needed to do.”
Eikenberry said he hopes to see a lot of generosity from the community.
“I'm hoping we end up with a lot of donations, but since this is our first time doing something like this, we're kind of playing it by ear. We've worked with toy drives and other similar events, and we've made donations to other food drives, but this is our first one, so we're excited to see how things turn out,” Eikenberry said. “And we're definitely going to market this in the area and make sure people know what we're doing. It's for a good cause, and to make things slightly more enticing for people, we will be raffling off some gift cards, which could also be helpful to people at the moment. Our donation area will be set up by the front desk area and people can put their donations in those baskets. I'm ready to get in and do this work and give back to the community and help fill that need for people who might be experiencing limited access to food resources.”
And with this being the facility’s first such endeavor, Eikenberry said he and his staff certainly will not be silent about it.
“We'll be sharing flyers on our social media pages, throughout the gym, and in the high-traffic areas of the community. We'll also be talking to other local media to spread the word, so we definitely won't be quiet about this. We want to get as many donations as possible so we can help as many people as possible,” Eikenberry said. “Since we're coordinating with the LACF, they're the ones who will actually be distributing everything to the local food banks and to whoever is in need. It's great working with the LACF, they do so much good in the community and have been for multiple years, and they have the resources to help really make an impact and figure out who needs what. It's all about teamwork.”
Overall, Eikenberry said, he is excited for the drive.
“We'll be talking this up ourselves, but I would love it if people in the community also spread the word for us, we'd love to get as many donations as possible to help as many people as possible,” Eikenberry said. “We don't entirely know what to expect, but we're excited to see what we get and see the generosity of the community.”
