Commander of DAV 32 Paul DeBerry loads food donations into a truck Saturday at the Fifth Annual Chick Crites Food Drive in the Parkersburg News and Sentinel’s parking lot. The drive is a collaboration of the newspaper and the Mid-Ohio Platoon Marines Corps Association. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

PARKERSBURG — The fifth annual Chick Crites Food Drive was held Saturday at The Parkersburg News and Sentinel and collected more than a truckload of food and $622 in donations.

The food drive, a collaboration of the Mid-Ohio Valley Platoon Marine Corps Association and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, benefitted the DAV Chapter 32 food pantry and the Old Man Rivers food pantry. And all of the donations will be split evenly between each pantry.

The drive was held from 8- 4 p.m. in the parking lot of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel and donations ranged from canned food and cleaning supplies to hygiene products and monetary donations.

Bernie Lyons, founder and former commanding officer for the Marine Corps Veteran Association’s Parkersburg branch, said Crites had a deep desire to help the community.

“His passion in life was getting food for other people,” Lyons said. “He worked for UPS for years and he would spend his own money and take it to the VFW and belonged to the Marine Corps Veterans Association.”

From left, Larry and Kelli Cosner, alongside commander of the DAV Post 32 Paul DeBerry, fill a truck with donations Saturday at the fifth annual Chick Crites Food Drive at The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. The drive is a collaboration of the newspaper and the Mid-Ohio Platoon Marines Corps Association. (Photo by Christina Myer)

Donna Crites, Crites’ wife, attended the food drive and said it was a great way to honor his contribution to the community. Crites grew up struggling with food insecurity and wanted to help eliminate that barrier in the Mid-Ohio Valley, she said.

“He had a passion for the food pantry, he never wanted to see anybody go hungry,” Donna Crites said. “He would take a truckload out to the DAV 32. We would have food stacked all over our house where he would collect it. He would just take a big load at one time.”

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com.