Time is running out and tensions are growing between Mower County and the city of Austin.

Friday, November 26, 1999

Time is running out and tensions are growing between Mower County and the city of Austin.

Right now, the county and city stand neck-and-neck in the race.

What’s going on here? Answer: a friendly rivalry to collect food for the hungry.

"For the past seven Christmas seasons, Mower County employees and the city of Austin employees, in conjunction with their respective employee relations committees have challenged each other to donate the most food for the Mower County Food Shelf at the Salvation Army Austin Corps," explained Nancy Clingman, member of the Mower County employee relations committee.

With the present standings showing the county and city have each collected the most food on three occasions, the six-year grand total between both agencies is 4,888 pounds of food, according to Clingman.

The deadline for each group of government employees to collect food is Tuesday. That’s when the totals will be announced at 3 p.m. at the Mower County Recycling Center, where Clingman works.

"We challenge city and county employees to take time to provide at least one meal for a family of four in an attempt to provide approximately 350 families with a meal," Clingman said.

Clingman also reminded employees, "No matter how big or how small, their donation is a step toward eliminating hunger."

The formula for determining the annual food drive winner involves dividing the total number of employees by the total number of pounds donated per unit of government.

"Employees who would rather donate money can do so with each dollar being equal to one pound of food," said Clingman, who said both the Mower County Board of Commissioners and the Austin City Council support their respective employees’ efforts in the entirely employee-driven project.

Due to an increased demand from new residents in Austin and the surrounding area, the Salvation Army Austin Corps has had difficulty in keeping up with the food requests.

Early in November, the Salvation Army asked churches, organizations and service clubs to move their annual holiday food drives forward to meet the demand, including families requiring food baskets at Thanksgiving-time.

Now, the Salvation Army is mustering its forces to meet the demands coming next month at Christmas-time.

For more information about the county-city food drive challenge, call Clingman at (507) 437-9551.