Holiday smiles food drive unites local businesses

Published 3:17 pm Wednesday, October 12, 2016

A food drive hosted by M.R. Bishop DMD and Associates has launched and is seeing help from other local businesses and community members.

Terri Fisher-Ware, Office Manager of M.R. Bishop, said the Holiday Smiles Food Drive is setting a goal of tripling the donations that they had received last year. 

This is the third year M.R. Bishop DMD and Associates has hosted a food drive, but it is the second annual Holiday Smiles Food Drive where local healthcare organizations have teamed up to help families in need for the holiday season.

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“In the past we would help support a couple of families during the holidays,” Fisher-Ware said. “Three years ago I started doing more of a food-drive so our patients could get involved. Our other two sponsors—Kentucky Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and White, Greer & Maggard Orthodontics—started to get involved and on board.”

The donations will be given to the local Salvation Food Bank after being collected for about a month and a half. 

After a visit to the food bank, Fisher-Ware said she saw there is an incredible need for donations. 

Another business donating to the cause is Hanley’s BBQ in Nicholasville. On October 22—the first time ever the restaurant will be selling brunch—Hanley’s will donate 10 percent of their revenue to the Holiday Smiles Food Drive. 

“We are always big about helping the community,” Fisher-Ware said. “We always try to give back because we appreciate everyone giving toward us and coming here for their dental needs. We always try to think about what can we do that would impact our community. After we started helping these certain families with their food for Thanksgiving and Christmas we just realized that there is such a need from people in Jessamine County for people who are not fortunate enough to have meals all the time.”

As of Thursday, October 6, Fisher-Ware said she had received commitment from local business and patients for 45 turkeys to give to needy families for the holiday season. 

The Holiday Smiles Food Drive has set two goals to try to feed 10 families from Nov. 23 until Christmas, Fisher-Ware said. Last year, she said the food drive helped around five families.

The day before Thanksgiving, the food drive will receive eggs, butter, milk and cold items to give to families.

Other business adding to the food drive are Kentucky One Health, Greg Ware Construction, SGM Homes, Diversicare, Kentucky Bank, Sutherland Chevrolet and others. 

Drop-off centers for the Holiday Smiles Food Drive include: M.R. Bishop DMD and Associates at 409 Etter Drive in Nicholasville, White, Greer & Maggard Orthodontics at 207 Fairfield Drive in Nicholasville and Kentucky Center for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at 2533 Larkin Road in Lexington. Donations will be accepted from October 3 to November 21.