The Raccoon Valley Radio Caring Christmas Food Drive has been operating for several years, but never before has there been a haul quite like the one from Wednesday evening.

During the live broadcast at the Perry Hy-Vee, Hotel Pattee Owner Tom Maxwell, the sponsor for the stop, offered to match up to $500 of cash donations given that night. What resulted was $1,050 in cash going directly toward helping stock the Perry Area Food Pantry, as well as a cart full of groceries. Raccoon Valley Radio General Manager John McGee said it was exactly the type of activity he’s wanted to see from the annual food drive. McGee said he couldn’t thank Maxwell and the hotel enough for their generosity, and also offered his thanks to Hy-Vee Store Manager Matt Rohe, who is helping them get the most out of the donation by offering large discounts on the items purchased for the food drive.

McGee and Maxwell were also complimentary of the community for being generous during the food drive. Maxwell said generosity can be contagious, which was made abundantly clear Wednesday night. “We were hoping that it would help spur other donations too. I mean, it seems like people react a little bit more if they know that (if) they give 10-20-30 dollars, that it’s going to be matched. It kind of doubles their giving in a way. And so it seemed like just an appropriate thing to do, exciting to do. Obviously if we can help put more food in the food pantry, it helps more people, and by doing the matching program I just thought it was a very positive outcome.”

The Caring Christmas Food Drive will continue through December 20th around the Raccoon Valley Radio listening area, and Maxwell is hopeful that other sponsors of stops along the way will take his example and offer something similar. For a full list of upcoming locations for live broadcasts, as well as participating businesses, click on the Caring Christmas banner on the front page of RaccoonValleyRadio.com.