What do car loads of food, battling boaters, and a blown tire have in common? All of them were present at Reefpoint Marina's First Annual Fill-A-Boat Food Drive.
Now, this may sound like something dreamed up by the quirky staff of an office sitcom, but it is a real event, the brainchild of Debb Hutchison, administrative manager of SkipperBud's Reefpoint Marina. The Fill-A-Boat food drive came to fruition this past weekend. It was a simple idea: put out the marina workboat for a day, fill it with food, and then donate everything collected to the Racine County Food Bank.
The idea took off. Individual docks got wind of the event, and the boaters started a contest to see which dock could bring the most food. Volunteer organizer Andra Colm made several trips to the store in an effort to win. "It was a close race. We didn't have enough to win. But in an event like this, everyone wins," said Colm.
In the end, there was too much food for the boat to handle -- a tire on the boat's trailer blew out! "I was hoping to get a lot of food, but I never thought we'd get that much," said Hutchison.
Next year's event is already being planned, and may include either a bigger boat, or multiple smaller boats. One thing is for certain: the marina staff will be sure to have plenty of spare tires on hand.
For more information, or to find out how to donate, contact SkipperBud's Reefpoint Marina at (262)633-7171, or the Racine County Food Bank at (262)632-2307.
