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The ADVANCE, January 6, 2021/Page 12A (Eift Aiiuancg COS continued from page 1A ings of canned tuna, salmon and other protein- packed products to hunger relief organizations help ing vulnerable populations within the local commu nities where the company operates. Rexroad added, “In the face of the COVID-19 outbreak, hunger relief organizations have experi enced a dramatic increase in demand for nutritious, balanced meals, particu larly the countless school- aged children that typi cally receive these meals at school.” Because no one should have to miss a meal, especially in times of cri sis, Chicken of the Sea has partnered with America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia to deliver critical nourishment to families, kids and the elderly within their respective communi ties. In the first wave of donations in March 2020, Chicken of the Sea provid ed more than 500,000 serv ings of shelf-stable protein to food banks nationally and in the local communi ties where the corporation has offices and at the pro cessing plant in Lyons. Additional waves of donations went out in Au gust, October and Decem ber 2020 when Chicken of the Sea provided more than 2,500,000 servings of frozen and shelf-stable protein to food banks na tionally and in the local communities where the company has offices and at the processing plant in Lyons. Total donation to date in 2020 is more than three million servings of frozen and shelf-stable protein. Food Bank partners in clude: Feeding America Convoy of Hope West Los Angeles VA Campus/Community En gagement & Reintegration Service California State Uni versity Long Beach Loyola Marymount University The El Segundo/Los Angeles Unified School District Second Harvest Food Bank of Georgia In March, Chicken of the Sea was able to assist the City of New York in the midst of its COVID emer gency by facilitating the de livery of more than 20,000 cases of infusions to the Emergency Services De partment in New York City to help feed the thousands of local residents severely impacted by the pandemic. Infusions is the Chicken of the Sea brand name for Wild-caught tuna infused with extra virgin olive oil, herbs, and spices. A tiny fork is included for easy, on-the-go snacking. Since the beginning of March, the Lyons plant increased production by 20%, increased workforce by 10%, and produced 26 million cans of shelf-sta ble tuna since the first of March. Riekhof explained, ing to fill an additional 20 positions. “We are looking for machine operators, elec tricians, mechanics, and many other great jobs. This employment level is expected to continue and grow. We continuously look at new opportunities to grow our business and grow our employment now and in future years,” Riek hof said, adding, “As res taurants closed and more people started eating at home, a whole new gen eration has discovered the nutritional value and con venience found in shelf- stable, canned food.” Riekhof said, “Chicken of the Sea is proud of the outstanding work culture we have built between highly-competitive pay, ongoing training, and fun, weekly employee perk pro grams and incentives. Our Chicken of the Sea Lyons Canning Plant is also one of the safest and most pro- Riekhof added. During this pandemic, the Lyons team has focused on three goals: Protect employees and their families through In dustry, company, and CDC best practices. Protect the nation’s critical food supply chain by supplying healthy and safe canned tuna. Protect the Lyon’s plant’s long-term viability. Matt Scalese, VP Supply Chain, said, “The true name of the game was rooted in collaboration: We quickly imple mented cross-functional “As essential critical in frastructure workers, our employees are committed to providing families with safe, delicious, and nutri tious food that can easily be prepared at home.” All employees received regular “hero bonuses” Protect employees and their families through industry, company, and CDC Best Practices daily meetings with Sales and our commercial coun terparts to assess sales pat terns, inventory position, and evaluate and prioritize new opportunities. We ramped up frequen cy of inventory reviews - Supply Chain readiness, Fin- i s h e d Protect the Nation's Critical Food Supply Chain by providing healthy and safe canned tuna thro ugh- out the year \ to help build up production capability. As the business was chang ing rapidly, management held frequent town halls and meetings to keep every employee well informed,” Protect the Lyons Plant's long-term viability Goods, frozen tuna loins, raw materi als - to facili tate our priori tization into a more dynamic, agile approach to production planning.” Demand continues to be strong and COS is look- active facilities in the entire food industry. At Chicken of the Sea we are family and we take care of each other. We like to say, there are lots of jobs out there but very few true opportunities; be ing here is an opportunity.” Chicken of the Sea, be gan operations in Lyons in 2009 and has over 280 em ployees producing shelf- stable, ready-to-eat canned tuna. Products include staples such as the famous Chunk Light in Water as well as Premium Genova Yellowfin in Olive Oil and Genova Albacore in Olive Oil. Chicken of the Sea products can be found in nearly all retail food stores. Also in the Toombs Cor porate Development Cen ter is the Lyons Warehouse with 25 employees. This distribution center receives seafood from providers all over the world and distrib utes products all across the U.S. City of Alamo Makes Appointments, Approves Contracts Ahead of New Year Photo by Evan Riekhof COAT AND TOY DRIVE — Paige Williamson, Toombs County Family Connections, Casey Woods, Citizens of Georgia Power, Mindy Morrison and Marissa Brown of Chick-fil-A Vidalia, and Greg Hudgins, Citizens of Georgia Power, gather for a group photo at the end of the local Toy and Coat Drive to benefit needy families sponsored over the holi days by Georgia Power, Chick-fil-A and Toombs County Family Connections, By Deborah Clark Regional Editor dclarkadvance@gmail. com In its last meeting of 2020, the Alamo City Council made appoint ments and approved con tracts in preparation for conducting business in the New Year. Meeting De cember 21 at the Multi purpose Center in Alamo, the Council appointed its newest member, Patricia Woodard, as Mayor Pro Tern. Woodard was elected in November to fill a post vacated by Tommy Spell. He resigned after moving outside the city limits. The Council approved the reappointment of long time City Attorney Russell Clark and renewed its con tract with the accounting firm of Hilliard and Milton in McRae. A request from the Wheeler County Board of Education to utilize the Old City Recreation site for the parking of vehicles by crews working on the con struction of the new school gained a nod from Council members, but with limita tions. The Council is ex pecting news about a grant application which would fund improvements at the site. The Council agreed to allow use of the location for parking with the stipu lation that should the grant be realized, the BOE would need to find another loca tion for its needs. The City is now in the process of renovating the Old Recreation Depart ment site and a basketball court is being refurbished and fencing is being in stalled. Other plans, for which the grant is intend ed, would further expand development at the site. The Council autho rized the purchase of a new vehicle for the police department at a total cost of $49,250.16, including onboard electronic equip ment. SPLOST will cover $36,189 of this amount. A camera system for the vehi cle is being funded by fines and fees paid to the depart ment. With the addition of this vehicle, the depart ment will have five vehicles for its five full-time em ployees and four part-time employees. The Council also approved Chief Roger Bryant’s request for a se cure storage compartment for the department’s F-150 truck at a cost of $1,499. This cost will be covered by fines and fees paid to the department. The Council decided to table a request by the chief for digital radios to replace outdated analog equipment. The cost of this equipment is $2,250, which the chief suggested be paid for through fines and fees. The matter will be revisited in a future session. The Council heard a re port from the Chief for the department’s November activities. The department responded to 368 calls, is sued 15 citations, made 12 incident reports and issued 7 traffic warnings. The pro ceeds from the automated speed enforcement in the school zone amounted to $1,11.25 for the month and fines amounted to $4,192.01. During the session, the Council approved autho rizing Mayor Pamela Lee to accept and process pay ment from city residents for water and sewer pay ments as well as taxes. City Administrator Jeff Floyd reported a busy month with preparations being made for Alamo’s Second Annual Christ mas in the Citv event. The Alamo Fire Department re ported eight fire calls, three medical calls, two trees down, and one vehicle wreck. In other business the Council set meeting dates for 2021: Tuesday, Janu ary 19; Monday, February 15; Monday, March 15; Monday, April 19; Mon day, May 17; Monday, June 21; Monday, July 19; Mon day, August 16; Monday, September 20; Monday, October 18; Monday, No vember 15; and Monday, December 20. All meetings will be held at 6 p.m. The regular meeting location is Alamo City Hall and meet ing locations are subject to change due to the health pandemic. The Council also ap proved committee appoint ments. Budget: Dondrea Get- er, chair, Pamela Lee, Jeff Floyd, Marie Carrillo and Roger Bryant, members. Administrative: Steve Jones, chair, Patricia Woodard, Pamela Lee and Jeff Floyd, members. Water, Sewer and Sani tation: Harry Lewis, chair, Thomas Lott, Dondrea Geter and Dana Burkhal- ter, members. Police and Fire: Patri cia Woodard, chair, Thom as Lott, Steve Jones and Roy Hood, members. Planning and Zoning: Thomas Lott, chair, Harry Lewis and Bobby Cox, members. Public Grants and As sistance: Dondrea Geter, chair, Patricia Woodard and Bobby Cox, members. Streets: Bobby Cox, chair, Steve Jones, Harry Lewis, Preston James, members. City Charter: Jeff Floyd, chair, Patricia Woodard, Steve Jones and Pamela Lee, members. Vidalia continued from page 11A sault and battery cases and armed robberies are down over 2019. He said that roadway crash en forcement has been down by 8% over 2019, but of ficers continue to have their biggest enforcement issues along Vidalia’s busy Highway 280/Main Street corridor. He said that all staff members have been trained in using newly- installed electronic equip ment, as well as less lethal weapons, and use of a drug to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose made available through the Leigh Anne White clinic. The clinic received a grant to combat drug issues in Toombs County. Toombs County Fire Chief Brian Sikes told the Council that his depart ment had responded to 20 calls in November, and to date (as of the end of November) had answered 246 calls for assistance compared to 293 in 2019. He said his department also provides assistance with child safety seats in vehicles, distributes smoke detectors and pro vides assistance with fire risk reduction programs. James O’Neal ofESG, a contractor for the City’s public works activities, told Council members that his crews have han dled 320 water and sewer cutoffs and moved 85 loads (1270 yards or 472 tons) of limbs and leaves in the month of November alone. Recreation Director Matt Smith said his de partment signed up 332 children for baseball and softball programs and 186 children signed up for soccer. He said his de partment has applied for a Land and Water Conser vation Grant to upgrade Ed Smith Park. This work will include fencing and dugout covers. City Manager Nick Overstreet issued a report from the City Marshal’s of fice regarding the removal of condemned housing. Cumulatively for 2020, four houses were demol ished with the city cover ing the cost; six houses were demolished with owners covering the cost; and an additional five as bestos abatements and demolitions were begun. Under City ordinances re garding debris and derelict properties, 494 cases were made during 2020. Michael Johnson of Community Men in Ac tion submitted a proposal to alter the route of the annual MLK Day Parade. The route for the sixth annual parade would be conducted along Geor gia Highway 280 neces sitating approval by the GDOT, which is pending. The Council approved his request contingent on the GDOT action. Toombs-Montgomery County Chamber Ex ecutive Director Michele Johnson announced that Professional Develop ment Day for Toombs Youth Leadership would be held January 7. The annual chamber member ship meeting has been scheduled for February 4. A DOT Foods’ expansion created 399 jobs in 2020. She said there are hopes to relaunch the Vibrant Communities project the Chamber introduced in 2020. Alexa Britton, Vidalia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Director, told the Council that visitation at the Vidalia Museum is at 41% year to date as com pared to 2019’s figures, owing to the health pan demic. She reported that work on the sound and lighting expansion project at the Pal Theatre is con tinuing. Some activities are going on at the theatre as the health protocol per mits, including multiple small party rentals and movie showings. She noted that the Highway 15 Coalition is meeting by zoom and the Vidalia Onion Commit tee, which just announced a return of the Blue Angels to the Vidalia Onion Festi val in 2022, will be meet ing soon to discuss plans for the 2021 festival. conserve • reduce • recycle