On Thursday, February 27th, Firefighters Brandon Fulkerson and Ty Flowers packed up 27 boxes of canned tuna collected throughout the month by the City of Laurel. They transported the donations to Extra Table’s packing party, where the cans were included in donation boxes distributed to 15 local food pantries across the Pine Belt. These pantries serve communities in Laurel, Bassfield, Collins, Columbia, Ellisville, Hattiesburg, Lumberton, Magee, Petal, Poplarville, Purvis, Sandersville, and Sumrall.
In total, 2,160 boxes of healthy foods were packed to help neighbors in need. The City of Laurel’s contribution for the 2025 campaign totaled 2,342 cans of tuna, including 2,194 5-ounce cans, 146 12-ounce cans, and 2 4-pound cans. This amounted to a total of 12,850 ounces of tuna—an impressive 803 pounds—donated to Extra Table.
This year marked the fourth year the City of Laurel participated in this unique food drive event, and the second year the city awarded the traveling “Big Tuna” trophy to the department collecting the most cans. This year, the Laurel Police Department squared off against the Laurel Fire Department in a friendly competition at Walmart in Laurel. For the second consecutive year, the Fire Department walked away with the coveted trophy.
In addition to the success of the 2025 campaign, the city’s efforts in 2024 were also recognized. On Tuesday, February 25th, the City of Laurel received a Certificate of Merit for Short Term Strategic Programs in Community Relations and Public Service from the Pine Belt Chapter of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi (PRAM). This honor was awarded in recognition of the “Tuna Season 2024: Laurel Collects Cans for Extra Table” campaign, which played an important role in the region’s annual March of the Mayors food drive.
The 2024 initiative, led by city employees, saw teams from City Hall, the Fire Department, and the Police Department competing to collect the most canned tuna. The competition culminated with City Hall winning the “Big Tuna” trophy, and the Fire Department receiving the “Lil Tuna” trophy for their outstanding contributions. Tuna donations were essential to Extra Table, a nonprofit organization that fights food insecurity across the Pine Belt. Partnering with agencies like USM Eagle’s Nest and Christian Services, the collected tuna was packaged and distributed to local food pantries, ensuring support for countless families in need.
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