Brunswick : Mercury Marine employees raise more than $5,600 during annual ‘Fill the Boat to Cast Out Hunger’ food drive

Mercury Marine employees raise more than $5,600 during annual 'Fill the Boat to Cast Out Hunger' food drive

Download as PDFSeptember 14, 2021 8:30am EDT

Fond du Lac, Wis. (September 14, 2021) - Mercury Marine employees in Fond du Lac last week donated more than $5,600 in cash and PayPal contributions and over 2,500 pounds of nonperishable food items for Mercury's annual 'Fill the Boat to Cast Out Hunger' food drive, which supports the Fondy Food Pantry.

The event marked the ninth annual Fill the Boat food drive, following the cancellation of the 2020 event due to COVID-19. Although the ongoing coronavirus pandemic resulted in a curtailed list of related employee activities this year, employees rallied to provide donations toward the important work of the Fondy Food Pantry.

'After a year off for COVID-19 precautions, our employees were especially enthusiastic for this year's event, which showed through their hard work and dedication,' said Andres Gonzalez, Mercury Marine vice president of human resources. 'I'm so proud of their support for our community. To generate this kind of support for the Fondy Food Pantry in one week is inspiring - especially given the challenges of the past year.'

In what has become a very popular annual event, Mercury employees bring in nonperishable food items and cash donations over a week-long period to provide food assistance to thousands of individuals and families in the Fond du Lac area. The Fondy Food Pantry has been a fixture in the community for nearly 50 years, serving roughly 1,100 individuals and distributing an average of 30,000 pounds of food each month. The pantry feeds 780 children every week.

'Fond du Lac is our home, and we are committed to supporting our neighbors, including those who face food insecurity,' said Gonzalez. 'Events like Fill the Boat are one of many examples of our employees working together to help our community.'

Volunteers from Mercury Marine and the Fondy Food Pantry are shown with a small portion of the total food donations and the boat used to deliver it to the pantry.

Released September 14, 2021