T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM --Volunteers at the New Hope food drive load supplies into the back of a U-Haul truck on Sunday. The church wanted to do a surprise drive for the House of Compassion and the Emergency Food Box.

A surprise food and supply drive on Sunday was one of the biggest the Marshalltown Hy-Vee location had ever hosted.

Hy-Vee Store Manager Jason Fifer said they were not expecting the drive to be that successful.

“That’s a good problem to have,” he said. “We’ve done several food drives as of late. This is a great event and we certainly appreciate the church coming out today and doing what they are doing for our community.”

New Hope Christian Church Executive and Worship Pastor Frank Donato said it was the first time the church had organized a surprise drive.

“We said, ‘Let’s do it. Let’s be the church,'” he said. “The need is overwhelming.”

Both of the regular New Hope services ended 30 minutes early on Sunday morning to allow attendees to participate.

Twenty volunteers collected for the Emergency Food Box and the House of Compassion. The church rented two U-Haul trailers – each one dedicated to a specific nonprofit – and parked them outside of the main entry doors.

“Hopefully we can bless them beyond belief, everybody wins and we feed the hungry,” Donato said.

During the drive, the church provided two lists of needed items for shoppers to purchase. Donato said they talked to both the House and the food bank to find out what was needed most. For the food bank, shoppers were asked to provide cereal, rice, peanut butter, canned chunky soup, macaroni and cheese, dry noodles, pasta sauce, canned vegetables or fruit, beans and canned tuna or chicken.

The needed items at the House of Compassion were small bottles of dish or laundry soap, hand soap, feminine hygiene products, diapers, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning solutions, toothbrushes and paste, deodorant and shaving supplies.

Toward the end of the drive, both trailers were close to full. Donato said they will deliver the items this morning.

“It’s beyond what I imagined,” he said. “People from the community are just jumping in.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.