To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the KNIA/KRLS Big Red Radio food drive, a special day-long radiothon will be airing on Tuesday, November 16th from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on KNIA and KRLS.

As part of the program, local and state food bank directors, volunteers, school representatives, business leaders, and more, will join the KNIA/KRLS News Team on the air to share the stories of solving the problem of hunger in south central Iowa. KNIA/KRLS Sales Manager Trevor Castle says while this area doesn’t have poverty like large metropolitan areas, there is still a need.

“Sometimes donating to or using a food shelf, people have this idea that it’s poverty stricken people that need it. That’s not the case. We don’t have homeless people, we don’t have people sleeping in a sleeping bag out on the downtown square. That doesn’t mean there aren’t people in need. The food shelf can fill the gap that allows you to put food on the table, then spend your money to buy your kids new sneakers or a winter jacket. Those are the needs in our communities.”

Dr. Bob Leonard and Spencer Dirks will co-host the event throughout the day, and listeners can make donations at KNIAKRLS.com/donate, with all proceeds benefiting area food shelves, or by pledging via phone call.