Curves Members Donate Over 2,000 Pounds Of Food
BY KAREN BERGER — MIRROR REPORTER
In between aerobic and strength-training exercises, the 160 members of Curves in Whitehouse shed 2,000 pounds – of food, that is.
On Saturday, April 14 at noon, the fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice will be loaded onto a horse-drawn wagon and delivered to the Anthony Wayne Area Food Pantry at Zion United Methodist Church in Whitehouse.
“I still can’t get it into my head that people are so generous,” said Lee Thomas, who along with his wife Joyce started the pantry about 10 years ago. Schools, scout groups, churches and businesses donate food and money to keep Anthony Wayne area residents from going hungry, he said.
Curves International hosts a food drive each year, and last year the 117 members in Whitehouse donated 484 pounds, said Jennifer Boyles, who became the owner in April 2011.
“We’re supposed to increase our donations by 5 percent, but I set our goal at 1,000 pounds for our 160 members,” Boyles said. “I feel blessed by these members, who held a contest to bring in food every week.”
Friendly competition soon fired up, with Boyles tracking the top donors weekly. When employees Sam Butcher and Sarah Brasher emerged as the top two contenders, members rallied and donated food on their behalf. Butcher won with 275 pounds, and Brasher came in second with 197.5 pounds. Member Susan Noss donated 98.5 pounds.
The AW Food Pantry may also qualify for matching food donations from Curves International and the Feinstein Foundation.
The donations will help the 50 to 60 area residents who come to the pantry twice a month for a bag of food, the Thomases said. While groups hold drives during the holidays, that food has quickly dwindled, so the couple uses monetary donations to shop for items through the spring and summer.
Anyone can donate food or money to the pantry on Saturday. Those who want to drop off food from 9:00 a.m. to noon can also check out Curves. Those who decide to join on Saturday will have the service fee waived, Boyles said.
“Bring some food for the drive and check out our program,” Boyles said. “We’ll be loading the wagon at noon.”
A fitness instructor since 2007, Boyles has taught classes throughout the Toledo area. Last year, she began teaching the Curves Circuit with Zumba, a unique combination of strength training equipment and the popular dance exercise routine, that women can complete in 30 minutes.
“It’s a party atmosphere, and we have all ages coming in for the class, from 16 to 89,” Boyles said.
While she’s certified to teach many classes, including turbo kick and sculpt, Boyles took classes through the Cleveland Clinic to become certified to offer Curves Complete, a program that is a combination of diet, exercise and motivation.
Through Curves Complete, Whitehouse resident Sam Sherman lost 16.5 pounds, 18.5 inches and went from a size 12 to a 2, Boyles said.
Diana Waugh lost 16.25 inches, 22 pounds and 13.73 pounds of fat.
In the past year, Curves Whitehouse has been tweaked to encourage more communication between members and interaction with instructors.
“There’s always a coach in the center of the circle to help members with form and motivation,” Boyles said.
For more information on Curves, call (419) 877-5566. Curves is located at 6763 Providence St. in Whitehouse.

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