NORWICH – With various sources of state and federal funding becoming more and more difficult to come by, Roots and Wings in Norwich is getting a little extra boost from one seemingly unlikely charity organization.

Throughout the month of August, Roots and Wings - a subsidiary of Catholic Charities of Chenango County - received a helping hand from Under My Skin for Life, a local charity group dominated by members with a motorcycle and tattoo lifestyle, and a noble mission to “help those in times of need.”

Members of Under My Skin for Life organized a month-long food drive by working collaboratively with participating local businesses, including Garf’s Deli, Park Place Restaurant, Service Pharmacy, NBT Bank and GHS Federal Credit Union. Collection boxes were set up in each business, encouraging members of the community to give what they can to help those who need help most.

As a result, more than 185 pounds of food was collected to stock the shelves of the Roots and Wings food pantry - not what organizers had hoped for, but a good start nonetheless.

“The numbers aren’t as high as we wanted them to be,” said Under My Skin for Life member Dan Hawkins, “but we are very happy with what we were able to collect.”