The Mathews Chapter of CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) is collecting food for local Mathews community food support organizations through the use of CERT collection tubs.

According to a press release from team leader Bill Burdette, CERT tubs have been placed downtown outside Food Lion, Moughons Ace Hardware, M&M Building Supply and Storybound Construction, as well as at North Star Market at North and R&W Marine at Cobbs Creek.

Signage identifies each container, and there are take-home flyers at each site describing what the group is doing, said the release. As donations come in, CERT will add tubs at different locations.

Local churches, Hands Across Mathews, and food pantries in Mathews will receive the donations. All of these organizations are stretched thin, said the release.

Since a main concern is smaller churches and underrepresented groups, said the release, CERT does not need to collect truckloads of materials to make a difference.

“Each and every...