Bernie and Louise Mercer say they were glad to be able to hold the Spirit of Alex and Riley (S.O.A.R.) Food Drive in person once again after having to hold the event virtually the past two years due to pandemic restrictions. By 2 p.m. Monday afternoon, when this photo was taken, tables upon tables of food had already been collected at the Salvation Army church in long Pond, CBS, and much more was to come in during the day. By the end of the day, the couple had collected thousands of dollars worth of food, along with over $5,000 in monetary donations for the CBS – Paradise Food Bank. Louise said that the drive, now in it’s ninth year, was one of the best to date. Mark Squibb photo