BOYERTOWN — Filled with emotion, Rob and Linda Snyder spent their 35th wedding anniversary Sunday at a Boyertown Area Multi-Service Inc. food drive.
The Montgomery County couple watched hundreds of bustling volunteers handle more than 20,000 pounds of food donations, saying with actions what words can't capture: a promise to turn the family's pain into something big, permanent and good.
The couple is grieving the loss of their daughter, Pamela Snyder, 31, her son, Preston Dray, 9, and the baby girl she was expecting, Evelyn Rose.
They died in July when their car was swept away in a flash flood of the Manatawny Creek on Pine Forge Road in Douglass Township.
Last year school year, Preston was given a classroom assignment to do a project on a passion. It could have been anything, such as a hobby or sport.
Preston chose hunger and decided to conduct a food drive.
He designed flyers and put a sign on a box asking for donations. With the help of classmates, he collected 45 pounds of food.
His mother took him to Boyertown Area Multi-Service Inc., where the staff made a fuss over his donation, taking his picture and putting him in the newspaper, Rob Snyder said.
At the funeral, the family asked for donations to be directed to Boyertown Area Multi-Service Inc. This raised the nonprofit's profile in the community and attracted more clients and donations, said Heather Stehman, a volunteer.
The nonprofit decided to host a food drive in Preston's memory and the response was tremendous. Around 300 businesses collected food, donating more than 20,000 pounds in Preston's name, Stehman said.
Over the weekend, more than 500 volunteers, including many youth, helped organize the donations in a party-like atmosphere. On Sunday, there were food trucks, a DJ playing music and red T-shirts for sale printed with the words "1st annual Preston's Pantry project."
Boyertown Area Multi-Service Inc. plans to rebrand its food pantry Preston's Pantry next year, board President Matt Hovey confirmed.
A similar event will be held in Preston's honor every year. The new name, along with some pantry improvements and a mural painting now in planning, will be unveiled in May 2020.
"He created his own legacy," said Debbie Snyder, 29, of Boyertown, Preston's aunt.
"They loved the Lord, and it shows," she said. "Preston doing all of this — he loved God. He absolutely loved the community. He wanted to help everyone out, and that is something my sister taught him."
There were other family members present Sunday, including Emma Snyder, 27, of Stowe, another of Preston's aunts, and Doris Knarr, the mother of Pamela's fiance Josh Knarr. The couple had been together for about eight years, and family members made a point to mention that he was a devoted dad to Preston.
Watching this large event set into motion by Preston's donation, family members said they were overwhelmed, proud and grateful to the community.
"He would be so thankful and extremely excited that he could help have an impact and help other families not go hungry," said Debbie Snyder. "He wanted to help everybody."
Contact Beth Brelje: 610-371-5022 or bbrelje@readingeagle.com
