Staff photo / Dan Pompili Greenwood Chevrolet employees Taylor Tomsich, left, Mike O’Brien, center, and Tim DeMain, move donated groceries from loaded Chevy truck beds into a box bound for Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley on Tuesday. Thousands of dollars worth of groceries were donated over the past month by the Mahoning Valley Corvette Club, and Greenwood staff and customers. Greenwood also donated $25,000 to the food bank.

AUSTINTOWN — When it comes to providing food for those in need, one method of transportation is as good as the next.

A couple of local donors, though, thought some style couldn’t hurt, so they filled a Corvette and a few shiny, new Chevrolet trucks with hundreds of pounds of food for Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley.

The effort began with the Mahoning Valley Corvette Club and finished at Greenwood Chevrolet, where Glen Greenwood thought it might also be nice to add a $25,000 check.

“We decided to make it a fun little competition,” said Greenwood business manager Tracy Briden.

After the Corvette Club got the idea to make a big donation, members approached Greenwood to ask for their help. Starting five weeks ago, the club filled a Corvette several times over, said president Sam Sicilia. Then they brought everything to Greenwood and divided it up between two Chevy Silverados and a Chevy Colorado.

Sicilia said in 2023, the club made $10,800 worth of donations to local charities and will top $11,000 this year.

From there, Greenwood’s body shop, service and parts, and sales departments all competed to see who could fill their designated truck first. Their families helped as did Greenwood’s customers.

“The goal was if we could complete all three trucks and get them filled, Greenwood Chevrolet would donate $25,000 to (Second Harvest),” Briden said. “Which I think is amazing for the lives and the families we are going to touch.”

On Tuesday, all three were overflowing with groceries of all kinds.

Renee Fuller, spokesperson for Second Harvest, said they will measure the volume of donations from each truck to see which truck won.

“From the looks of it, I think everyone won,” said Briden.

Fuller said the need in the Mahoning Valley is great and the food and money will go a long way.

“During the holidays, the need always goes up, and the $25,000 alone is 125,000 meals for the Mahoning Valley area,” she said. “By the time we add up this food, it’s going to be an astronomical amount.”

Fuller said the food bank, through donations like these, can provide families with more than just basic staples, which allows them to knock items off their grocery lists and make their money stretch further.

“Thank you for all the kindness, between all the staff here at Greenwood, their families, the clients … and Mahoning Valley Corvette Club,” she said. “What a world of difference. We’re so grateful.”

After representatives spoke, staff from Greenwood helped load the groceries into large boxes that were then loaded onto a large Second Harvest box truck for transportation to their main facility.