Doylestown residents hold Super Bowl food drive to help neighbors

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (WTXF) - While millions across the country are sitting down with a nice plate of food to watch the big game, many are struggling to put food on the table. One community in the area spent the morning making sure their neighbors could get the food they needed.

Some folks in Doylestown are spending Super Bowl Sunday a little differently.

Before preparing their parties, one group of neighbors prepare food for their local pantry.

They call themselves the "Harvey Ave Crew," a group of neighbors from the same block.

On Saturday, they passed out bags donated from local grocery store Simply Fresh, at homes throughout the borough with a note about the food drive.

Sunday, they stopped at homes to pick up full bags and take the bags to the Bucks County Housing Group's pantry.

"It's amazing, Doylestown is amazing," said Karen Greenhaus.

Greenhaus brought the idea to Harvey Avenue three years ago after hearing about its success from friends in Vermont.

"They're already in a mood of, 'We're buying food, let's just buy some extra,'" Greenhaus explained.

"People spend billions of dollars on the Super Bowl," said Leslie Richards, another Harvey Avenue resident. "To take some of that and give it to people who need it feels like the right thing to do."

The pantry's coordinator, Madelaine Burgess, said their shelves tend to get pretty low in February. They are dealing with that this year, among other issues.

"With the government shutdown and the way food stamps have been handed out slightly strangely, we anticipate a big increase in need," Burgess explained. "There's a lot of food insecurity in this area, people think of it as a wealthy area, but a lot of people struggle to get food on the table."

Each year, the Harvey Ave Crew say they have beaten their goal.

This year, however, they soared over last year's total of 4,500 pounds and collected 11,000 pounds of food.

"It's really kind of the neighbors and to feel the support of neighbors as well is awesome," Burgess stated. "It really ties us over."

Greenhaus said they have turned "Harvey Ave Crew" into an official non-profit and plan to make the collection every year. For many on the block, it's a true testament to what being a neighbor is all about.

"We know our neighbors, we talk to our neighbors, we spend time with our neighbors," Richards said. "So, it just feels like a natural extension of the social life on this block."