Valente Development Corporation has once again assisted local food banks and toy drives this holiday season.
The corporation recently wrapped up its 4th annual "Valente Mission — Community in Action" holiday drive.
Darcie Valente is with the corporation and says more than $10,000 was raised.
She says the corporation's fleet of Gladiator trucks were also filled with toys and non-perishable food items.
Valente says the community donated $4,750, and her husband, Peter, matched the donation.
She says there was also a last-minute donation from Devonshire Mall.
"We were able to distribute $10,050 in FreshCo gift cards and Devonshire Mall gift cards to local food pantries and toy drives along with all of the food and all of the toys that were stuffed in our Gladiator trucks," she says.
Valente says the corporation's trade suppliers and community partners were excited to help out.
"It's so incredible just to see everyone get involved, everyone so excited again from our tenants to our staff; it's just everybody is just so eager to help out our community, and over four years, we've raised $111,050 total in money and then just trucks and trucks and trucks and trucks of food and toys," says Valente.
She says donations were also collected at the corporation's condominium communities in LaSalle, Lakeshore, Tecumseh, and Kingsville.
"We have to sometimes swap out bins twice, three times; there's just so much generosity, and then to when we visit the community pantries and the toy drives to also see other contributions from the community, not just ours, but just to see the pantries filling up and just everyone's community generosity is so important this time of year," she says.
In four years, the holiday drive has raised $111,050.