Since 2020 the grand total amounts to $10,204.94
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – For four years the Colonel family of Chester, including, Steve, Sue, Steven, Mitchell, Melody and Noah, have coordinated a monetary collection of food and funding for the local food pantry, the Chester Area Christian Food Pantry (CACFP).
In the photo: Steve Colonel, Chester High School Band and Choral Director (left) and Sue Colonel, Chester Grade School Band Director and General Music Instructor (right) present Bob Koenegstein, Chester Area Christian Food Pantry Coordinator and Manager (center) with donations totaling $2,407.81, that were collected at the 2023 CHS and CGS Christmas Concerts as well at the Colonel’s home as people visited the Colonel’s Annual Christmas light display. Guests at the CGS concert donated $556.41, guests at the CHS concert donated $794.40, while guests enjoying the Colonel’s light display donated $1,068.00 for a total of $2,407.81. Since 2020 when the Colonel’s started this program, they have raised a grand total of $10,204.94 for the Chester Area Christian Food Pantry Jim Beers Photo
Steve Colonel is the Chester High School Band and Choral Director and Sue Colonel is the Chester Grade School Band and General Music Director. For many years they both held a canned food collection for the CACFP at their respective Annual Christmas Concerts.
The respective non-perishable food collections were “requested” as a form of “admission” to the concerts. Throughout those early years those collections were a most welcomed donation to the Chester Area Christian Food Pantry.
When the COVID-19 Pandemic struck the nation, live concerts were not possible and the two food drives were not possible. Fear not, the Colonel’s figured out another way to support the food pantry.
As most citizens of Chester know, Steve Colonel is a Christmas fanatic! He lives for the Christmas season and has always had a beautifully decorated front yard with literally tens-of-thousands of various Christmas light displays.
Each year the displays get bigger and better and Colonel works throughout the “off-season” purchasing new and innovative decorations to increase the size of his displays. Ehen he is not looking for new items to add to his display, he is repairing current items and preparing for his next display for the coming year.
As the years have gone by, people in Chester and the surrounding area have learned of the Colonel displays and his yard had become a regular attraction for the holiday season. Cars drive by the Colonel home on Cole Place Road in Chester.
To help raise money for the food pantry, it has become customary for the Colonel’s to sit at the end of their driveway and accept monetary donations to help support the CACFP.
Bob Koenegstein, Coordinator and manager of the Chester Area Christian Food Pantry said, “We sincerely appreciate the annual donations from the community via the Colonel’s efforts. Each year the CGS and CHS Christmas concerts and the Colonel’s light display activities help to keep us going especially during the holidays.”
“We really appreciate the normal canned good collections and donations, however, monetary donations allow us to purchase items we do not get donated and our purchase power is often greater due to our ability to buy items in bulk quantity. This purchasing also allows us to buy much-needed items at any given time.”
The Colonel’s make that distinction each year at their Annual Christmas Concerts and the community has always responded with very heart-felt responses.
In addition to monetary collections at the Colonel’s Christmas Concerts and at their drive-by visits to their Christmas light displays, Steve Colonel has even gone the extra-mile by making donations possible via the Venmo electronic method which has allowed people to contribute even though they may not live in the Chester area or be able to visit the light displays or concerts in person.
This year’s monetary totals include $556.41 from the Chester Grade School Christmas Concert; $749.40 from the Chester High School Christmas Concert; and $1068.00 from the Colonel’s Christmas light display drive through visits for a 2023 total of $2,407.81. Since 2020 the Grand Total amount has grown to $10,204.94.
Colonel has already begun to look for and shop for new and used additional Christmas decorations for the upcoming 2024 Christmas season, so look forward to even bigger and better displays in the future, and continue to help feed hungry individuals in need of nutritious food items via the Chester Area Christian Food Pantry.
Anyone wishing to contribute either food or monetary donations to the CACFP can do so by visiting the pantry on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-2 p.m.