The Jamestown community came together in a big way for the 13th annual Community Holiday Haul, raising $27,504 and collecting 24,446 pounds (12.25 tons) of non-perishable food to support St. Susan Center.

The Holiday Haul surpassed its $25,000 fundraising goal. Monetary contributions will help sustain St. Susan Center’s programs year-round, while the donated food will provide thousands of meals to individuals and families facing food insecurity.

“This year’s Holiday Haul truly showed what our community is capable of,” said Cherie Rowland, executive director of St. Susan Center. “Every dollar donated and every can collected represents a neighbor who cares. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who stepped up to support our mission and the people we serve.”

Donations came from a wide range of supporters, from monetary gifts to individual cans of soup, contributed by local businesses, school groups, and residents across the region. The campaign kicked off in early December with the “Forever Rising” parade truck, sponsored by Cummins, which collected donations during the City of Jamestown Holiday Parade, hosted by Collaborative Children’s Solutions (CCS). Students with CCS’s NextGen Jamestown program also helped collect food along the parade route.

Cummins further amplified the impact by pledging a match donation to the United Way in honor of St. Susan Center, matching the grand total of the Holiday Haul — a contribution that longtime organizer and St. Susan Center Board Member Dan Keefe called the “trifecta” of giving.”

“I always say I just stand there and collect the donations,” Keefe said. “It’s the community that makes this possible. People show up, no matter the weather, and that generosity is what makes the Holiday Haul work.” Keefe braved cold temperatures, wind, rain, sleet–and even a little sun–throughout the three-day fundraiser, continuing a cherished holiday tradition in Jamestown.

The 2025 Holiday Haul embraced a digital approach, led by Board Member Justin Gould, who coordinated online fundraising through the St. Susan Center website.

“This year’s Holiday Haul was a remarkable success, and I want to personally thank Dan Keefe, Cherie Rowland, and Justin Gould for their extraordinary efforts,” said Greg Lindquist, Board President of St. Susan Center. “Their dedication — especially the push to engage donors online — helped us reach our fundraising goal and expand our impact well beyond what we could have imagined.”

“Through Facebook Lives, Instagram posts, and a live donation tracker on our website, the Holiday Haul’s reach extended far beyond the Jamestown Cycle Shop parking lot,” Gould said. “I want to thank Dan Keefe and Cherie Rowland for their wonderful work appearing on live video to promote the effort — without their energy and presence, we wouldn’t have been able to engage the community so effectively.”

For more information about St. Susan Center or to support its mission year-round, visit StSusanCenter.org.