Halfway through the 2012 Merchants Bank Ten Days of Giving food drive finds the drive slightly behind the total for the 2011 halfway point.
                    
Merchants Bank Communications Director Mark Metzler says as of Thursday the total was 41,642 pounds, about 8,000 pounds short of a year ago at this time.
                    
That total includes $20,295 in cash and 1070 pounds in actual food donations.  The bank equates two pounds of food with every one dollar in donated cash.  The running total brings the bank's 24 year total to about 1,960,000 pounds, just shy of the 2 million pound overall mark.

The drive runs through December 10th and will also include donations from over 150 businesses and more than 30 schools also taking part.  Food and cash donations can be brought to any  Merchants Bank location in Winona, Goodview and St. Charles....plus Winona Volunteer Services and the Southeastern Minnesota Rural Education Center in St. Charles.