NICOLASVILLE – State Farm Agent Randall Chewning celebrated the 18th anniversary of his office opening in Nicholasville on October 1, 2024, with a special community initiative. To commemorate the occasion, Chewning hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for his new downtown office and launched a cereal drive to support the Jessamine County Food Pantry.
The idea for the cereal drive originated from a Rotary Club meeting where Ruthann Richardson, director of the food pantry, spoke about the increasing difficulty of providing staple items like cereal. Chewning was inspired to take action after learning about the pantry’s struggles to provide dry goods and cereal due to rising food costs.
Starting on October 1, Chewning aimed to collect 180 boxes of cereal—ten for each year of his service in Jessamine County. The cereal drive, advertised through social media and local radio, garnered overwhelming support from the community. By the end of the 18-day initiative, he had collected approximately 580 boxes of cereal, surpassing his original goal.
According to Richardson, this substantial donation will supply the food pantry enough cereal to serve the needs of 400 families each month until the end of 2024. “With rising food costs, it is very expensive to try to do that. We rely solely on donations from individuals and businesses financially,” Richardson explained.
Chewning expressed his desire to raise awareness for the food pantry’s efforts, stating, “This is not about me. I thought it may be good to shed light on the Jessamine County Food Pantry. I am pretty excited about it; I think it’s been successful.” The pantry does not receive federal or state financial assistance, making community contributions critical for its operations.
Other local figures, including RJ Corman and Terri Ware, also play significant roles in supporting the pantry through various initiatives. However, Chewning’s cereal drive has been particularly beneficial given the challenges with sourcing shelf-stable items like cereal. “That’s why Randall Chewning doing the cereal drive has been such a blessing,” Richardson noted.
As the food pantry continues to serve a growing population in Jessamine County, initiatives such as Chewning’s demonstrate the power of community involvement in addressing local needs and supporting families in crisis.
