13th Mayflower Marathon food drive

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va - The 13th Annual Mayflower Marathon crosses the finish line.

Food donations from the 52 hour event will whip up 402,704 meals.  One thousand turkeys were also donated. 

The event started during the dark hours of Friday morning and continued through Sunday afternoon.

The Mayflower Marathon is a tradition for Virginia Beach resident David Schleicher. He pulled up in a white van filled with 50 of every thing needed for a proper Thanksgiving meal.

"Every year we go out, get a bunch of food and donate it to these great people, because they need help. This is our little way of giving back to everybody," Schleicher told WAVY.com

That kind of generosity is just what foodbank directors can't seem to get enough of, for a number of reasons. With less than a week until Thanksgiving, the normal foodbank rush is on, but there's something else putting an extra draw on local foodbanks this year.

"We need a tremendous amount of help. This food drive is going to bring in a ton of meals for families who need it and for the storm victims hurt by the weather last week," said foodbank director Marianne Smith.

Our cameras caught car after car, packed to the roof with food. Event organizers say if the weekend is as successful as the first few hours after the event kick-off, the next forty hours could grant the wish of thousands of hungry Hampton Roads families.

"We couldn't do what we do without this event and the community that come out to support us," said Smith.

The donated food will be distributed Monday and Tuesday and will be on tables just in time for Thanksgiving.

If you're in need this holiday season, call the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia at 627-6599 and they'll refer you to an agency that can help.