6/14/22 9:45 a.m. 

The owner of a south county grocery store will be living on top of a 53-foot semi-trailer in an effort to raise approximately $50,000 in groceries to go towards stocking the shelves in local food pantries.

Tom Criss, owner of the Myrtle Creek Grocery Outlet, will set up camp starting July 1 at 9 a.m. and won’t come down from the trailer until it is full of food.

Criss spent nine days camping on a trailer last year, raising over $45,000 to go towards the Grocery Outlet Independence from Hunger campaign. The store owners say they have raised $83,000 in three years for this annual campaign and finished second among over 400 Grocery Outlet stores last year.

The money raised this year will go 100% towards stocking local food pantries. The Myrtle Creek Grocery Outlet works with food banks in Myrtle Creek, Riddle, Glendale and the Outpost Mobile food pantry.

Donations will be accepted at the store in July and the Myrtle Creek owners are also encouraging local businesses to take up a food collection at their workplace and drop off donations.

For more details check out the Myrtle Creek Grocery Outlet Facebook page.