Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR) is excited to announce a canned food drive April 16 & 17, 2011, to benefit both the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank and the Cleveland Foodbank. This canned food drive is in conjunction with the Fee Free Periods in the National Parks set up by the Obama administration.
Local food banks provide food for an estimated 179,800 people annually. About 40,600 different people receive emergency food assistance in any given week. 49% of the clients surveyed by the area foodbanks networks reported having to choose between buying food for their families, or paying for utilities or heating fuel. Our community’s need for food relief remains urgent, and CVSR wants to help, through the generosity of its passengers, make sure the centers have the nutritious food they need to feed the growing number of hungry people in the communities it serves.
Passengers can climb aboard at either the Akron Northside Station, the Canal Visitor Center in Valley View or the Brecksville Station, and for the donation of a canned food item, take a ride through Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
The National Park Scenic excursion is a 3 hour round trip allowing riders the opportunity to see the beauty of Cuyahoga Valley National Park in spring without leaving the comfort of the train. Riders can also choose to enjoy a layover in the Village of Peninsula or at the Canal Visitor Center before returning to their originating station.
While on board, the state-of-the-art GPS driven audio tour will be available. This audio tour, titled Voices of the Valley, immerses listeners in the sounds and stories of the area, from the earliest settlement of the valley, the coming of the Ohio & Erie Canal and Valley Railway, the creation of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the return of wildlife and more.
Trains depart from the Canal Visitor Center, located at 7104 Canal Rd., Valley View, at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., the Brecksville Station at 13512 Station Road at 10:15 am and 1:30 pm and from the Akron Northside Station, located at 27 Ridge Street in Akron, at 11:35 a.m. No reservations are necessary. Canned food items will be collected at the stations.
CVSR is a private sector, not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) volunteer supported organization operating in partnership with Cuyahoga Valley National Park and is dedicated to the preservation of passenger rail transportation in Cuyahoga Valley and the historic Ohio & Erie Canalway. CVSR is celebrating its 39th year of excursion rail service.
Tickets for all other Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad excursions and special events can be purchased on-line at www.CVSR.com.
