Caroling on the Circle brings smiles and food to less fortunate

Spirits will be brighter – and cupboards packed a bit tighter – this holiday season thanks to the generosity of the Sussex County community.

Some 300 carolers gathered in downtown Georgetown for the 39th annual Caroling on the Circle event Dec. 5, to sing in the Christmas season and help those less fortunate.

Organizers at the end of Monday night’s event announced that Caroling on the Circle has so far collected more than 13,300 canned goods and other nonperishable items for local pantries, which will feed needy families in the community during the colder winter months ahead. The campaign continues through the end of December; officials hope to collect 20,000 items or more.

Each year, Caroling on the Circle kicks off the holiday season for Sussex County, while serving as a community food drive to benefit local food banks. Started as part of the Delaware First initiative, Caroling on the Circle continues to help those in need a generation later. To date, the community has donated nearly 800,000 food items through the Caroling on the Circle program throughout the course of its 39-year history.

“We can always depend on the community to come through in support of those in need, and Sussex Countians always find a way to come through in the end,” County Administrator Todd F. Lawson said. “We know times are tough, but Sussex County steps up no matter what. I am always thankful for that.”

As part of the Caroling event, Sussex County once again called on the public to Pack the Pod by setting up a 14-foot-by-7-foot storage trailer on The Circle. The unit served as a focal point for Caroling and to heighten awareness about the food drive.

This year’s Caroling event, along with collections from Sussex County Council, county employees, numerous schools, groups and businesses leading up to the event, helped this year’s preliminary total to reach about 13,300 items. With several weeks still left in the drive, the county hopes to take the final total even higher by the New Year.

In 2021, the campaign collected more than 20,000 items for local pantries.

For this year’s efforts, the public can continue to drop off canned goods and nonperishable food items between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday at the County Administrative Offices building on The Circle in Georgetown. The Caroling on The Circle/Pack the Pod food drive will continue until Friday, Dec. 30.

Lawson thanked the public and those in attendance at the Dec. 5 event, and acknowledged several participating groups. Those included Sussex County Council; county employees; Allen Harim, Aloft AeroArchitects; Benchmark Physical Therapy; Delaware State Police; First State Manufactured Housing Association; Fuqua, Willard & Schab P.A.; Grain on the Rocks; Lane Builders; Little Einsteins daycare; Megee Motors; Moore & Rutt P.A.; Mountaire Farms; Nicola Pizza; Redner’s Warehouse Markets; Rehoboth Beach Police; Tunnell & Raysor P.A.; as well as Beacon Middle, Georgetown Middle, H.O. Brittingham Elementary, Long Neck Elementary, North Georgetown Elementary and Rehoboth Elementary schools, and Delmarva Christian, Sussex Academy, and Sussex Tech high schools.