Office workers collect food, pet items

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - For those in the community who have not been hard hit by last week's tornadoes, many are feeling the need to reach out and lend a helping hand.

That is exactly how some workers in downtown Springfield feel. Employees at the management office of Tower Square are holding a food drive and pet drive on their lunch breaks.

Every day until the end of the week from Noon to 1:00 P.M., they will be accepting ready-to-eat foods, canned pet food, clean towels and monetary donations at the City Walk Cafes food court in Tower Square.

“We're all cat owners, cat lovers, so we all planned to go home, get some stuff together, and bring it in today and drop it off on our lunch break,” said worker Christine Reed.

“We want to help, but we feel somewhat helpless, but this is something we thought we could make it convenient for the people working in our building to help those who are, you know, wearing their old clothes and shoveling out and picking through debris,” said Annette Scheidecker, a food and pet drive volunteer.

All donations will go to Rachel's Table, a food distribution center, as well the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society.

A food drive volunteer told 22News that those organizations were chosen so that all donations would go to local tornado victims.