New Berlin food drive again packs in the fans

Volunteers sort donated food items in the IEWC Global Solutions Corp. parking lot for the Thanksgiving Food Drive to benefit the New Berlin food pantry on November 15. People who donated a bag of groceries got to get an autograph from a Green Bay Packer. Photo By Jerry Luterman

New Berlin - The line of cars stretched about a mile from a parking lot deep in New Berlin's Westridge/Towne Corporate Park business park west of Moorland Road out onto Beloit Road.

In every car were people with a bag of groceries for the New Berlin food pantry and hopes to meet a Green Bay Packer up close.

Seven Packer players - Nick Collins, Ryan Grant, Pat Lee, Anthony Levine, Sam Shields, Tramon Williams and Morgan Burnett - volunteered to come to New Berlin the afternoon after their Monday night football game and sign whatever donors and fans wanted them to sign - from footballs to T-shirts.

Donors showered 19,000 pounds of food and $7,100 cash on the pantry to make the holidays brighter for families going through difficult times.

This was the second year the Packers helped out the pantry in connection with Thanksgiving by signing autograph, but this time it seemed like the whole community turned out for the drive.

"We had no idea it would be as successful as it was," New Berlin food pantry director Jeanne Holden said, noting that the pantry is now well-fixed for the holidays.

Overpacked with donor fans

If the successful food drive had a dark spot, it was the disappointment of the little kids riding in those cars that were turned away when the lines became too long to accommodate autographs to all.

"A lot of little kids left crying," said Holden, acknowledging all the telephone calls she got the next day. "That made me feel bad."

Holden said an enthusiastic few started lining up at 12:30 p.m., a half-hour before the official starting time.

Organizers and New Berlin police, who were bowled over by the turnout, wound up having to cut the line for autographs off about 5:30 p.m., one hour before the drive's end, said Police Officer Scott Hippler. The line of people outside the tent where the Packers were was already more than two blocks long at that point.

Seeing that the players could end up signing autographs all night if the line continued to grow, and noting that the site was running out of parking anyway, the players' representative asked police to start telling donors still in line that donations would be appreciated, but that further autographs would not be available, Hippler said.

As it was, the players stayed well after their anticipated departure time, not leaving until the last person in line was happy. That wasn't until 8:15 p.m., Holden said.

Tough schedule

If the event is held next year, she wondered how disappointment can be avoided. Organizers face some tough parameters.

The time is set around when the Packers can be there, Holden said. If the event starts any earlier, children in school might miss out.

Regardless, the Packers added to successful food drive, which was also helped by IEWC Industrial Electric Wire & Cable and GMR marketing which opened their grounds and parking lots for the food drive and supplied volunteers. Volunteers also came from FedEx, the pantry itself, Holy Apostles Church, Habitat for Humanity and others, Holden said. And Armeli's Restaurant and Pizzeria donated 10 pizzas for the volunteers.