ALTON - The Alton Dispensary will offer a discount with each donation to their food drive through Dec. 24, 2023.
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Cory Davenport, the dispensary’s marketing manager, explained that this is the beginning of the dispensary’s outreach efforts, with much more planned to help the Riverbend community.
“We are part of this community. We want to give back to this community. This community does a lot for us. We want to return that,” Davenport said. “This is just the first step in something that’s going to continue to grow. You’re going to see more and bigger things from us for the community. We’re really trying to show that we’re good neighbors.”
The dispensary will offer a 10% discount on your entire purchase if you bring in a nonperishable food item. This discount is stackable; for example, if you have a medical card and already receive 30% off your purchase at Alton Dispensary, bringing in a food item will give you an additional 10% off for a 40% total discount.
All items will be donated to Crisis Food Center in Alton. Davenport said they are looking for high-protein items like peanut butter or family meals like pancakes and pasta. He asks customers to contribute “their best stuff,” not just food items they find in their pantry and no longer want.
“One of the most important things I want people to remember when they’re bringing stuff in is that they’re feeding their neighbors,” he added. “We’re asking our customers to go a little above and beyond because we believe they will.”
This might be the dispensary’s first food drive, but it won’t be their last community outreach project. At a recent “What’s Up Downtown” meeting in Alton, general manager Ashlen Hale noted that the dispensary is going strong after the termination of their former management company in October. She added that the cannabis industry is uniquely poised to contribute to the community.
“We’re back and we’re here to stay and we’re super excited,” Hale said during the Nov. 28, 2023, “What’s Up Downtown” meeting. “We’re hoping, in this next segment of our business adventure, to start more community outreach…Working in the cannabis industry, there is so much room to give back. And we want to be a part of that. We’re excited to be here in Alton.”
Davenport noted that the dispensary staff tries to be mindful of those who “suffer[ed]” when recreational marijuana use was illegal. They want to contribute to the community with this history in mind. This “culture” of giving back, Davenport said, will start with the food drive and stay strong in the coming years.
“Not only are we going strong, but we’re going strong enough that we can share and we’re going to really start making a footprint soon with that. And this food drive, I expect it to be huge,” he said. “So I think one of the ways that we’re really just announcing, ‘Hey, we’re still here, we’re back, that little shutdown was nothing,’ is just by being like, ‘Not only are we here, but we’re about to be the best neighbors. We’re about to really try to find causes that need help, and we want to help.’”
For more information about the Alton Dispensary, visit their official website at TheAltonDispensary.com. If you have questions about the food drive or suggestions about future outreach projects, contact Davenport directly at cdavenport@thealtondispensary.com.
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