This year’s annual Great Moscow Food Drive will be held Aug. 5 from 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Moscow Farmers Market near Friendship Square.

Joann Muneta, chair of the Latah County Human Rights Task Force, said she has been involved in the event since the beginning. This has been an annual event that began in 2000 when one of their members heard the local food banks were running low on food.

“It was the millennium and it was her suggestion we try to raise 2,000 cans and boxes to contribute to the food bank and we got more than that,” Muneta said. “In the summer when we’re all having picnics and enjoying the food we have, we need to think of other people who we need to help.”

The food drive is held to raise donations for the Moscow Food Bank and Westside Food Pantry, Muneta said. The two sponsors for the event are the LCHRTF and the Moscow Human Rights Commission, which has been involved for about eight years.

“We added the city of Moscow Human Rights Commission because we wanted to make it a community-wide event. It doesn’t take much sponsorship,” she said. “What we needed was the manpower to collect the food and deliver it. Between the two organizations, we have plenty of help.”

The food drive will be held at the Farmer’s Market near Friendship Square, as well as East City Park at the corner of Hayes and Third Street, Muneta said. This was a change made during the pandemic so people could just drop off their items, but the site remains available.

The best things for people to donate are non-perishable items, as well as cans of food and toiletries, Muneta said.

“We also ask for cash donations because sometimes the food banks run out of something people aren’t dropping off,” she said. “If they have extra money they can go out and supplement their food stock.”

In addition, monetary donations throughout the month of August will be split between the food banks and the Weekend Food for Kids program, Muneta said. On average, the event usually receives four or five truckloads full of donations.

“Last year we got $4,000 some in cash donations. The most we ever got was during COVID because people realized how important it was,” Muneta said. “I think we got $11,000 one year, but usually it’s around $4–5,000.”

Monetary donations can be given online on the LCHRTF website.