Over 1,200 lbs of food, $600 collected during 'Pack the Cruiser' food drive

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Over 1,200 pounds of food and $600 in cash were collected during the "Pack the Cruiser" food drive hosted by the Decatur Police Department and Kroger.

The annual event was held at the Airport Plaza Kroger Saturday.

Officers and volunteers handed out shopping lists to customers entering the store, encouraging donations of nutritious food.

Recruiting officer with Decatur Police Kara Flannery said, "When the police department goes out on calls for service we see those families at those roughest moments, and sometimes that assistance, if we can just keep the pantries full and their bellies full... that goes a long way in helping all kinds of problems in the home and obviously hungry families. That can be stressful on families. So, we want to reduce that in any way that we can."