Plumbers band together for food drive
Seeing a single mother with her child at House of Mercy brought back memories of tough times for Chris Mead.
"My mother was a single mom raising me and my brothers and there were days it was hard to get food on the table," Mead recalled. "We had to live out of a car on a couple of occasions. I remember going to clothing and food banks. We got Christmas gifts from toy drives."
Mead is currently a plumbing technician for Benjamin Franklin Plumbing in Columbus and was at the homeless shelter on Third Avenue because of problems with its water heaters.
"They were without hot water," he said.
Finishing his work, the Jordan High School graduate encouraged others at Benjamin Franklin to assist him in helping those in need.
On Nov. 14, the company began a food drive that will continue until Dec. 31 with all donations going to House of Mercy.
"We are looking for non-perishable food items," said Kristen Clark, marketing representative for Benjamin Franklin.
The company serves the greater Columbus-Auburn area.
She said if a customer donates three items, the dispatch charge can be waived. For five items, customers receive 10 percent off their service.
Mead said people may also bring food to the company headquarters at 3155 Williams Road.
The company is matching whatever is donated.
As of Tuesday, Benjamin Franklin had collected 506 items. The company has already delivered food to House of Mercy for Thanksgiving and is now working toward Christmas.
"Some people want to help shelters but can't get the donations to them. We are doing that," Clark said.
The food is kept in a company conference room. A sign on an easel there reads: "Help Us Help Others."
Clark said the technicians, who have provided items themselves, are in a competition to see who can collect the most.
"This is good for the community. It's good we can help so many people who are hungry. They don't get enough help in this country," said technician Jonathan Meigs.
Marshall Stoess is the owner of Benjamin Franklin. He has been providing plumbing needs in the Columbus area for more than 15 years. His business, which does commercial and residential work, provides 24-hour emergency service seven days a week.
"We have been very fortunate to have loyal customers support us through the years, and this is our way of helping the community and doing our small part. This is especially important during the holiday season when the need is so great," said Stoess in a news release.
House of Mercy executive director Johanne Harris is thrilled to be getting help from Benjamin Franklin.
"It is very gratifying to see people do something like this," Harris said. "It lets us know people are concerned about those in need. We do not only feed the people who stay with us but we also feed the people who live in the woods and the people who live under a bridge. Help is always needed."
This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 10:01 PM with the headline "Plumbers band together for food drive."