EUSTIS On Saturday, the Mount Dora, Eustis and Tavares Fire Departments competed in a food drive competition.
They collected more than 11,000 pounds of food that was delivered to the Lake Cares Food Pantry.
The Eustis firefighters came out on top with 6,599 pounds of food collected, which includes cash donations figured at 19 cents a pound.
“It was great being the winner but of course, that’s not what it’s all about,” Deputy Chief Scott Davis said. “We were very pleased at the amount of support for a first-time event.”
Davis said they had probably around 100 cars stop by and donate food and many local businesses gave cash donations to show their support.
LEESBURG Mount Dora, Eustis and Tavares firefighters will face off in their inaugural food drive challenge on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their respective stations.
The event is sponsored by the Golden Triangle Rotary Club and the goods collected will benefit the Lake Cares Food Pantry.
“We do a food drive for Lake Cares every few months but we decided to involve the local fire stations in a golden triangle challenge to see who can collect the most goods,” said Jim Dickerson, Community Project Chairman of the Golden Triangle Rotary Club. “It’s meant to be a fun event where people can come drop off their donations at the stations and see the firefighters. Once we weigh in all the food, we have a plaque for the winner to keep for bragging rights.”