Volvo Rents store owner Rick Owens, left, and Nick Mavrick of Volvo Rents Communications at the Hardhat Comedy Show at The Players Club in Sarasota, Fla., April 20.

Volvo Rents this week announced donations of more than 800 pounds of non-perishable food items to the All Faith Food Bank in Sarasota, Fla. The donated items were the result of admission to the Hardhat Comedy Show held at The Players Club in Sarasota, Fla., April 20.

“We were very pleased to have sponsored an event that resulted in such a large amount of food for the community,” said Nick Mavrick of Volvo Rents who was on hand for the event. “The response was overwhelming.”

Volvo’s brand of comic relief was brought to a standing-room only crowd at The Players Club. Carmen “The Construction Comic” Ciricillo as well as three other comics entertained the more than 500 people who brought non-perishable food items for entry.

“More than ever the half a ton of food collected at the Volvo Rents Hard Hat comedy show is needed in the community to support those most affected by the current economic slowdown,” said Aundria Castleberry, All Faith’s director of development.

Volvo Rents launched the Hardhat Comedy Tour, www.HardhatComedy.com last year to give its franchisees a way to help local charities. Nationally, Volvo Rents also supports Operation Thank You, an initiative to provide holiday care packages for American soldiers serving overseas as well as to provide support for other local organizations.

Volvo Rents, a division of Volvo Construction Equipment, is based in Asheville, NC, and is No. 17 on the RER 100. It operates equipment rental centers in North America, Europe and Mexico.

Operation Thank You is a Volvo Rents initiative to support those in need. Recently Asheville, North Carolina’s MANNA Food Bank and Sarasota, Fla.’s All Faiths Food Bank were the charities selected as recipients of the charitable benefit. Since 2006 Volvo Rents has been responsible for delivering more than 5,000 bags of items to support U.S. troops overseas via participation with a program called Operation Gratitude.

All Faiths Food Bank began operating in 1990. It operates 14 programs that feed hungry people in addition to distributing more than 4.2 million pounds of food to more than 160 charitable agencies in Sarasota and DeSoto Counties in Florida. This food creates 9,200 meals every day.

All Faiths Food Bank is a certified member of America’s Second Harvest, the United States’ food bank network of more than 200 organizations fighting hunger in every state and county in the nation. More information on the organization can be found at www.allfaithsfoodbank.org.