PLATTSBURGH — The Kiwanis club is ready to “Stuff the Strand,” with community donations again Friday, Oct 17.
Doors will be open for collection from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Strand Theatre located at 25 Brinkerhoff St.
The Plattsburgh Noon Kiwanis Club and Strand Centre for the Arts organize the annual food drive to collect nonperishable food and baby items.
“We’re thrilled to host the Stuff the Strand event again this year. This has quickly become an annual celebration of community giving and I highly recommend you coming the day-of to see the theatre packed with donations. Definitely a feel-good day, that’s for sure,” Megan Charland, Strand executive director said.
SMASHED GOALS LAST YEAR
The target amount this year is 21 pounds per seat.
Last year, they set a goal of seven pounds per seat and between community donations and sponsorships, they “smashed,” that goal with 20 pounds per seat.
At 901 seats that is a total of 18,020 pounds of collected items from the community.
This food drive benefits the Plattsburgh Interfaith Food Shelf and helps raise money for JCEO food service programs.
“This food drive is something we are happy to be a part of, that just keeps growing every year,” Kimberly Davis, Stuff the Strand creator and Kiwanis Club of Plattsburgh director, said.
SCORE POINTS
Prizes will be awarded to the top groups who raise the most in three categories including business, non/not-for-profit and child-base groups.
One point for each pound of food-related items, two points for each pound of baby wipes, three points for each pound of baby food and five points for each pound of baby formula and baby-wipes.
“We want to get more groups involved with a bit of friendly competition to see who can raise the most, not only by the pound, but there is a point system,” Davis said.
According to Davis, the points compensate for a lack of weight among the higher demand items, such as baby formula.
Kiwanis is offering seat sponsorships starting at $30 for a regular seat, $75 for a balcony seat and $150 for orchestra seats.
For the second time this year, the Kiwanis club is offering corporate sponsorships at three levels, silver at $250; gold at $500 and platinum at $1000.
Money collected prior to Sept 1, 2025 is donated to the JCEO to be used to purchase food items from the regional food bank at a much lower cost than going to the grocery store.
The money collected after that date is used by Kiwanis, at request of the Plattsburgh Interfaith Food Shelf, to pay for necessary items.
PRIORITY ITEMS
Davis emphasized the “top items,” including cereal, canned meals, sauces and non-food items such as baby wipes, diapers and baby formula.
“Cereal is huge, it’s so expensive. We are also looking for canned meals, things that do not need to be cooked or refrigerated; look for a pop top, not everyone has access to a can opener or heat,” she said.
“We need diapers, baby formula and baby wipes, these are very expensive items. You can’t get diapers with food stamps, a lot of people don’t know that.”
In June 2025, the Plattsburgh Noon Kiwanis Club was named a top 10 finalist among 500 entries in the 2025 Signature Project Contest for the “Stuff the Strand,” food drive.