Crowds gathered this morning at the Atmore Area YMCA as a food bank was held to help those in need.

The event coordinated by Atmore Lions Club vice president Chris Walker along with representatives from the Bay Area Food Bank and the Atmore Area Christian Care Ministries brought in hundreds of people who were in need of assistance.

Walker said that he hoped the food bank could help as many people as possible.

“Our ultimate goal is to try and aid as many families that are in need with the amount of resources we have,” he said.

To be eligible for the food bank, those requesting assistance were pre-qualified by the AACCM.

Along with giving out food, there were also represnatives there helping sign people up for assistance.

“We also have people here signing people up for food stamps if they need it,” Walker said.

The event was also aided by volunteers from AmeriCorps as well as from local high schools with representatives from the Atmore Kappa League and the Chamber Ambassadors handing out food or loading it into vehicles.

Atmore Lions Club President Anne Hetzel said she was proud to see what a great event was being held by her club.

“First, I want to say how appreciative that the Atmore Lions Club is of Lion Chris Walker for spearheading this event,” she said. “The Atmore Lions are extremely humbled to have the opportunity to facilitate such a great project. It’s not only wonderful for the beneficiaries, but also for the volunteers from AmeriCorps, Atmore Kappa League and the Chamber Ambassadors as well. The efforts for such a worth-while project make me proud to be from Atmore.

For more information on this event see Saturday’s edition of The Atmore Advance.