Four weeks of food collection came to an end in Gulfport Friday as everyone involved with the March of the Mayors boxed food ready for distribution across the Coast. The March of the Mayors came to an end Friday in Gulfport at the Lyman Community Center. Along with Extra Table and help from volunteers around the community, the mayors on each end of the Coast were busy packing boxes of food that are going directly to mission pantries and soup kitchens across the Coast. Extra Table Founder Robert St. John said, “We contacted the mayors of each city and every one jumped in right off the bat. The Coast has come together and like what you see going on behind me. One city did peanut butter. One city did tuna fish. Everybody did a different thing. So, we’re putting together these boxes right now. Each box is going to have something from each city on the Gulf Coast.” The total amount of goods collected was 30 to 40 tons. Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes said, “Gulfport has peanut butter. I had a mom call and say what does a mayor want with peanut butter. When they realize it’s for food pantries across the Coast everybody got on board. Our schools in Gulfport raised tons of peanut butter. They’re going to be taking care of a lot of folks.” Through March of the Mayors, members of Extra Table, city officials, and volunteers, including high school students with the Mayor’s Youth Council, have had the chance to step up and help out. Gulfport High student Colton Bruni said, “How easy it is to come together and help each other out and how if we set our minds to it, we can get a lot done.” And help they did.
