It all started with Scot Ritchie’s 16-year-old daughter, Reese.
Ritchie, the managing partner of Savannah Toyota, had taken his family to see a local food drive in their hometown. They were heartbroken to see the long line of cars, all full of families waiting for a free box of groceries.
“We all saw the need in this community, and my daughter said ‘Dad, we’ve got to do this too,’” Ritchie says.
Immediately, Reese got to work with her friends and family to organize a food drive at her dad’s dealership.
They partnered with Carey Hilliard’s Restaurants and League of Brawn, a local nonprofit, to help feed people in need.
Team Effort Scot Ritchie worked with a local nonprofit, League of Brawn, and a local restaurant group to host the food drives. “There’s all sorts of problems people are going through, and this is just our way of trying to help a tiny bit,” he says.
They’ve hosted two food drives so far, with the first happening last June.
Families across Savannah were invited to pull up, pop their trunk, and receive a free grocery bag full of shelf-stable foods. They also received gift cards to a nearby restaurant.
Reese and her friends helped handoff bags and keep people cool with cold bottles of water. Ritchie says he’s proud to see his daughter and other young people step up to give back.
“There’s all sorts of problems people are going through, and this is just our way of trying to help a tiny bit,” Ritchie says. “There’s a quote in the Bible that says, ‘to whom much is given, much will be required.’ That’s something I really believe. We’ve been blessed, and now it’s my responsibility to give back.”
Photos by Kelsey Beck
