Grayson or Snellville? Who Won 'Give Hunger the Boot' Challenge?

The winner of the Give Hunger the Boot food drive challenge between the cites of Grayson and Snellville will be revealed Monday, the City of Snellville said in a press release.

Staff and elected officials from both Snellville and Grayson will be counting food items collected for the area’s needy at 11 a.m. Monday at the Southeast Gwinnett Food Co-op, located at 55 Grayson Industrial Parkway, Grayson.

Last month, Grayson Mayor Allison Wilkerson and the Grayson City Council and staff challenged their counterparts in Snellville to a contest which concludes Monday.

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, both cities will haul their food donations to the Co-op, where they will be counted and the winner declared.

The loser will have to build a parade float and council members of both cities will ride on the float in the Snellville Days and Grayson Day parades.

Participants in the Snellville-Grayson challenge will also be sorting donations and doing other volunteer jobs at the Co-op.

“From the beginning, the Snellville-Grayson Challenge has been about more than raising donations. It’s about helping others,” Wilkerson said.

Snellville Council member Dave Emanuel echoed Wilkerson’s sentiments.

“As Mayor Wilkerson pointed out when she issued the challenge, Dr. King said, ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’’ I think rolling up our sleeves and working at the Co-op is another excellent way to answer that question,” he said.

(Photo: Grayson Mayor Allison Wilkerson and Snellville Councilman Dave Emanuel “battle” over food collected for the Southeast Gwinnett Co-op at the Greater Eastside Chamber of Commerce last month.)