DOWAGIAC — On a cold winter’s morning, when most people would rather stay in their pajamas, wrap themselves in a blanket and huddle by the radiator in the comfort of their home, Jim Allen was hard at work outside.

If the massive snowflakes, propelled by frosty artic gales, that pelted him and others braving the elements outside the Dowagiac Family Fare Saturday morning bothered Allen any, he did not let it show. Standing vigil by the exit of the local grocery store, the man happily greeted everyone who walked by, pleasantly asking them how their day was going and if they could spare just a single dollar for a good cause, with a makeshift donation jug — a plastic milk carton with its top cut off — in his hand.

Whether it was because his goal — to help make sure local residents stay fed this upcoming year — or simply because of the infectious enthusiasm he brought to his task, people happily pulled out their wallets and purses to leave a donation. In fact, in just half-an-hour of work, Allen’s jar was nearly filled to the brim with crumpled greenbacks.

“You’re wonderful, standing out here in the snow while doing this,” shouted one woman while walking toward her car after placing her dollar into the jug.

Allen was one of several volunteers who bundled up and faced the winter weather this weekend in order to help raise money for the 2017 Feed the Hungry campaign. Organized by Allen and C. Wimberley Automotive, the holiday food drive is designed to raise donations from the local community, which will be used to supply local food pantries for the holiday season as well as pay for visits from mobile food pantries throughout the coming year.

This year, organizers have set their sights on raising $20,000, which would be used by Dowagiac’s ACTION Ministries to purchase food through the Feeding America program for pennies on the dollar. So far, Allen and others with Feed the Hungry have raised more than half of their goal, with 11 days left before the campaign wraps up Friday, Dec. 22.

While many businesses and residents have written checks to directly to the program, a good chunk of the donations this year have been raised by volunteers standing outside local grocery stores, including Family Fare and the Harding’s stores in Dowagiac and Cassopolis, the last several Saturdays, Allen said. They usually raise $1,000 or more in cash donations these days — last weekend, Director of Public Safety Steve Grinnewald volunteered outside Family Fare to help, and raised the second-largest amount on a single morning in campaign history, Allen said.

Among those who donated money to the cause Saturday was Dowagiac’s Craig Hartman, who gave his son, 7-year-old Alexander, a dollar to give to Allen outside the store.

“We like to help when we can,” Hartman said.

Even a single dollar bill can go a long way to helping the hungry in the county, as ACTION is able to purchase around $6 worth of food for every $1 spent, Allen said.

When asked why he chooses to pour so much of his time and energy into Feed the Hungry, Allen simply responded by saying he finds it heartwarming to see the people of Cass County rally around their own, as even those dealing with financial difficulties find some money to spare for the campaign.

“I always tell people I devote six weeks of my life to this program every year,” Allen said. “I do it for free, but it’s the best paying job I’ve ever had in my life.”

This year’s campaign will wrap up Dec. 22, with the annual food delivery to local pantries in the lot of the C. Wimberley Ford dealership, at 56081 M-51 S., Dowagiac.

People wishing to make a donation to the 2017 Feed the Hungry program may contact Allen at (269) 779-1691.