Fitness Franchise Collects Money For Shelter

WEST BURLINGTON (Monday, April 03, 2006) - The staff of the Battered Women's Shelter, The Nest and Young House Family Services walked away with more than 1,520 pounds of food Saturday, the food collected by the women of Curves gym.

"A lot of food banks are low this time of year," said Curves owner Karen Elliott. "That's why Curves started their food drive."

For the last couple months, the women members of Curves, and a few other locals, have been donating nonperishable food items to the gym. The goods lined the gym's walls until Saturday when the three service organizations were asked to pick it all up.

From 11 a.m. to noon, the organizations' volunteers loaded up their goods, hauling away them away to their prospective food pantries.

"Last year it took me three hours to haul the food," said Mary Kuster, Battered Women's Shelter assistant director. This year, she brought a dolly and a truck, and Curves members helped load the items.

"At Christmas time, we really have an abundance of food," she said. "This really helps us out."

Often the three service organizations send food with their clients when they no longer need the services.

"Things like paper towels and laundry detergent we go through a lot," said Jackie Nelson, legal advocate for the Domestic Violence program. "It is great that so many clients donate. This is great for the three services to split."

To split the goods, a representative from each of the three organizations went around the gym collecting what they needed for their pantries. Then the Curves members brought it to their vehicles.

"It worked out," Elliott said, with a smile.

The three organizations also split monetary donations collected, which Elliott said was only a small amount.

The food donations from Curves' 200 members, however, t not small. One member donated 124 pounds of food.

In exchange for their goodwill offering, the women had the opportunity to earn a free T–shirt if they lost five pounds, and women joining the gym could get their start–up costs dropped.

Curves throughout the world also collect and donate food throughout the beginning of the year. In 2005, they collected 10.6 million pounds of food.

Throughout the rest of the year, the West Burlington gym raises funds for the March of Dimes and Breast Cancer Awareness. It also promotes Heart Healthy Month in February.

View all Curves Press Releases

This article has been read 428 times.

Printer Friendly