Earlier this month, Mercury Marine’s annual “Fill the Boat to Cast Out Hunger” food drive to benefit the Fondy Food Pantry raised close to $13,000—a new event record for food and cash donations, according to a press release from the Fond du Lac, Wis.-headquartered marine engine and accessories company. For five days (Oct. 7-11), Mercury employees contributed 4,811 pounds of nonperishable food donations, an increase of 82 percent from last year’s food donations.

With their food-drive efforts this month, Mercury Marine employees served their local community and set an event record in the process.

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“I am honored to work here at Mercury Marine with a group of employees who care so much about our community,” said Carrie Rohde, a Lean Six Sigma “master black belt” at Mercury Marine and chair of the employees’ Fill the Boat Committee,’ in the release “They demonstrated so much enthusiasm and we all had a lot of fun putting on this event, even with some scrambling to respond to weather challenges.”

The event culminated with a Friday cookout for employees. This year, the cookout celebrated not only the food drive but also Mercury Marine’s 80th anniversary.

“To surpass our donation totals from last year is very rewarding” said Andres Gonzalez, Mercury vice president of human resources, in the release. “It demonstrates our employees’ commitment to supporting the communities where we work and live and have a truly enjoyable gathering.”

Fondy Food Pantry has been “a fixture in the greater Fond du Lac community” for 45 years, the according to the release. The organization serves approximately 1,100 individuals in need—distributing an average of 30,000 pounds of food—every month and feeds 780 children a week.

Said Fondy Food Pantry president Sandy Breth, “The pantry’s requirements for food donations and financial support have never been greater as we serve ever‑increasing numbers of neighbors in need. Fill the Boat is a hugely generous endeavor on the part of Mercury employees, and one for which we are ever grateful.”

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