It’s hard to say just how many people young Robert Wealer has helped in his lifetime, but his work on behalf of the Hannibal and Quincy area Salvation Army has certainly made an impact in many lives. It’s more than just stocking the shelves at the food pantry. He inspires the rest of us to serve people in need.

Robert is just 14 years old and is in 8th grade at Quincy Junior High School. Back in 2015, he decided he wanted to help the hungry in our area. That’s when he started Robert’s Canned Food Drive. Since those early days of collecting food, Robert’s totals now exceed 31,000 food items. He’s also brought in more than $9000 in donations for the Food Pantry.

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Just in the past month or so, Robert has collected 760 food items for the Salvation Army Food Pantry. He’s also collected $2,335 dollars in donations to purchase more food to stock the shelves. That puts him within reach to accomplish his 2021 goals of 1000 food items and $5,000 in cash.

“We want to help the Salvation Army food pantry during the summer months when kids are out of school, in need of food when school lunch is not available,” Robert said.

While Robert heads up his food drive, it’s a family affair for sure. His parents drive him around to Hannibal, Quincy and the surrounding communities to pick up collections. All you need to do is to put ten nonperishable food items on your porch and send your address to Robert’s Canned Food Drive Facebook page. Java Jive in Hannibal is also collecting now through the end of May if you have food items you would like to drop off. You can make a cash donation to the Salvation Army through Robert’s PayPal link.

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