On Saturday, October 25, Woodhaven Kiwanians and Ryan’s Friends held their 29th annual non-perishable food distribution. Help came from everywhere. Eight Woodhaven-Brownstown schools collected a total of 309 cases of food.

Additionally, Woodhaven Kiwanians and Ryan’s Friends purchased $5,200 worth of kid-friendly food. We had so much food, we needed three school buses for food and a fourth for our many volunteers!

Helping distribute the food were members of the Woodhaven High School hockey team, WHS ladies swim team, WHS National Honor Society, and members of the Brownstown Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society.

Food was distributed to eight local food pantries serving the food insecure in our community. The federal government shut down and the proposed pause in SNAP will send a lot of residents to the food pantries.

Annually, our food drive is held in memory of Ryan Joseph Sergent of Flat Rock. He died on October 15, 1997, at the age of 17. A senior at Flat Rock High School, Ryan collapsed and died on a street curb during a cross-country practice. The incident occurred just blocks from his home. Ryan’s death came just 11 months after his father passed away.

Following his death, Sergent’s mother founded the group “Ryan’s Friends” to collect and distribute food to those in need. This was a way to honor his life, as he had volunteered in a soup kitchen and clothes closet the summer before he died. Ryan’s mother, Evelyn Sergent-Kosowski, taught fifth grade her entire career at Bates Elementary School in Woodhaven.

For the past 29 years, Woodhaven Kiwanians and the students of the Woodhaven-Brownstown School District have worked side-by-side with “Ryan’s Friends” to continue Ryan’s Legacy of helping others. It has been our great pleasure to meet the needs of those with food insecurity in our community.

Coming up, the Kiwanis calendar continues to be busy. In December, we will team up with the Woodhaven Upper Elementary School to collect toys for Christmas for the Downriver Salvation Army. We will also ring the Salvation Army bell.

On January 31, we will hold our annual Kids Against Hunger packing. Last year, we packed 24,540 meals with the help of 348 students from Woodhaven-Brownstown and Trenton Public Schools.

Membership Chair Carol Horn invites you to come and get involved. We meet Wednesdays at the Woodhaven Community Center at 6:30 p.m. Our meeting only lasts an hour and we could really use your help!