Beaver and Brighton Township residents with big hearts are making sure that service recipients of the Women’s Center of Beaver County always have happy bellies, thanks to the efforts of Beaver resident Emily O’Leary and her program Big Hearts Happy Bellies.
The program expands upon the traditional one-time donation approach to food drives to allow people to become long-time food donors. Participating in food drives can require more effort than some can give as it requires foresight and planning – remembering where and when the drive is, going to the grocery store, and making time to go to the drive to give your donations. Big Hearts Happy Bellies eliminates some of the hassle as they come to its participants’ front doors to collect donations on a bi-monthly basis.
The program was inspired by a similar program O’Leary participated in when she lived in Georgia. Upon moving to Beaver in 2014, she thought it was the perfect opportunity to give back and support the community by starting Big Hearts Happy Bellies. Residents in Beaver and Brighton Township are eligible to participate in the program. However, if you live outside those limits, there are businesses that serve as drop off locations in Beaver, Conway, and Monaca.
When someone signs up to be a donor, Big Hearts Happy Bellies gives them a reusable grocery bag to fill with non-perishable food, hygiene or paper products. The participant then places their bag on their front porch on the collection dates and Big Hearts Happy Bellies come to collect the donations and leave a new reusable bag for next time.
Since the start of Big Hearts Happy Bellies, the program has collected over 16,000 pounds of needed items for the Women’s Center of Beaver County.
The Collection Dates for 2019 are April 13, June 8, August 10, October 12, and December 14.
To sign up to be a donor, visit bigheartshappybellies.com.
