Major milestone reached by free Statesboro food distributor, next event scheduled

STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) - Feed the Boro will host its next community food distribution on Saturday, November 15, 2025, beginning at 8 a.m. at Statesboro High School, located at 10 Coach Lee Hill Blvd, Statesboro, GA, according to a press release WTOC received.

This month’s event marks a major milestone — five years of monthly food drops and more than 3.5 million free meals distributed to families in need across Bulloch County.

Presented by Food Lion Feeds and The Islands, and in partnership with America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, the November Food Drop will provide enough groceries to feed 1,000 families for one week.

This month’s food drop is sponsored by Davis Marketing Company.

Five Years of Hope, Love, and Compassion

“What started as a one-time event during the height of the pandemic has turned into a movement of hope, love, and compassion,” said Don Poe, Chair of Feed the Boro. “Our mission is to show our community hope through food, love through volunteerism, and compassion through giving the least of these another day to fight.”

Every month since November 2020, the Feed the Boro committee has gathered before dawn — often as early as 3 a.m. — to prepare for the food distribution.

Volunteers unload and stage two to three semi-trucks of food, organize 75 to 100 volunteers into teams, and direct hundreds of cars through two distribution lines.

Within a few hours, thousands of meals are loaded into vehicles by smiling volunteers, rain or shine.

“When the parking lot is empty, the food is gone, and our volunteers are tired but fulfilled, that’s when we know we’ve done something that matters,” said Poe. “It may sound corny, but that quiet satisfaction of giving without expecting anything in return is what keeps our team coming back every month.”

Each monthly food drop gives families the equivalent of 56 meals: two meals a day for four people, lasting an entire week.

From Thanksgiving Meals to Monthly Food Drops

Feed the Boro’s roots stretch back more than 25 years, when volunteers spent each Thanksgiving preparing and delivering hot meals to families in need.

In 2019, the organization cooked 290 turkeys and delivered over 5,300 complete Thanksgiving dinners across Bulloch County with the help of more than 600 volunteers.

Then came 2020. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Feed the Boro could no longer safely deliver hot meals.

“We decided to try just one food drop,” recalled Poe. “But after seeing the line stretch completely around Statesboro High School and realizing the level of need, we knew we had to keep going.”

That one event sparked what has become five years of continuous service — and a vital source of relief for families facing food insecurity.

Community Support Makes It Possible

Each monthly food drop costs approximately $4,500 for food and operational expenses.

While the groceries are free to those who receive them, Feed the Boro relies entirely on private donations and local sponsorships — not city or county funding.

For the five-year anniversary of the Feed the Boro Food Drops, the organization has launched a special fundraising campaign called “Feed It Forward.”

While presenting sponsors Food Lion Feeds, The Islands, and other monthly corporate partners cover the cost of food, additional expenses — such as volunteer breakfasts, Statesboro Police Department traffic control, and other logistical needs — are funded by donations.

The Feed It Forward campaign urges 1,000 community members to pledge just $5 per month for one year.

These contributions would fully fund a year’s worth of operating costs, ensuring Feed the Boro can continue providing food and hope to families in need.

“Every dollar makes a difference,” said Don Poe, Chair of Feed the Boro. “We don’t have a building or a payroll — every penny goes directly into feeding our neighbors. Our friends at the Statesboro Food Bank do incredible work, and together, we’re fighting the same battle against hunger — just in different ways.”

Feed the Boro extends special thanks to Food Lion Feeds, The Islands, Statesboro High School, and the many local businesses, civic clubs, and churches that continue to sponsor and support their efforts.

How to Participate or Give

Anyone in Bulloch County in need of food assistance is welcome to attend. The event is drive-thru and contactless, ending at noon or earlier if supplies run out.

Participants are asked to have their trunks or rear cargo areas cleaned out and open for loading.

Those wishing to help Feed the Boro continue its mission can donate online at www.feedtheboro.com or mail contributions to:

• Feed the Boro
• P.O. Box 2736
• Statesboro, GA 30459

“Five years down, and we’re already looking ahead to ten,” said Poe. “We’re just ordinary people trying to do extraordinary things for our community — one meal at a time.”