Library partners with Plenty! to fight food insecurity by collecting cereal

The Jessie Peterman Memorial Library (JPML) has partnered up with Floyd’s Plenty! Farm and Food Bank to bring the community of Floyd a breakfast staple.

From now through Nov. 13, JPML is collecting donations of breakfast cereal to ensure no one starts their day hungry. The goal is to collect 1,000 boxes.

Lisa Thompson, assistant branch manager of the library, said the idea stemmed from Floyd Elementary School’s Cereal Box Domino Challenge in 2025. Students, faculty, and staff of Floyd Elementary donated more than 800 cereal boxes to Plenty! Prior to drop-off, staff and students staged a cereal box domino line that ran throughout the building of all the cereal boxes collected. 

“The donations have been good so far, but there is such food insecurity in Floyd County, that I think is a great way to address something like that,” Thompson said. “Everyone needs a breakfast before school, preschool, or just before starting their day. I have a vision of the domino line here at the library snaking from our Genealogy room all the way to the circulation desk, but it’s going to take a lot of cereal.”

Plenty! and JPML have partnered to fight food insecurity in Floyd County for more than five years, according to Plenty! Executive Director Shannon Hardwicke. “In Floyd County, 11.1% of adults and 15.8% of children face food insecurity,” Hardwicke said. “Support like this helps us continue meeting that ongoing need.”

The initial partnership began with the Floyd Free Fridge that is set up in the main entrance of the library. The Free Fridge is available to anyone in need of food, no questions asked.

“Anyone can just come in,” Thompson said. “You do not need to express need, you can just come in if you need it and take it. It offers people access to food when Plenty! is not open.”

According to Hardwicke, Plenty! serves 1,200 households per month across their many programs, including the drive-thru pantry, home delivery, mobile pantry, and free fridges. 

“I’ve heard that Food Lion has been doing Buy One Get One Free on cereal,” Thompson added. “So as long as it's new cereal and it's not expired, we’ve got a special bin for it and we are collecting it through Nov. 13.  After we get all the cereal, we will release a date for when we can do the domino.”

Boxes of cereal can be dropped off at the library (321 W. Main St.) during open hours: from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Fridays; and from 1-5 p.m. on Sundays.