No, we are not "crying wolf." Amazing Grace Food Pantry is again in a crisis situation and we are compelled to issue a red alert requesting food donations. In fact, pantry director Kathleen Kelly and the volunteers who stock the shelves feel that the pantry food supplies have never been lower.
The good news is that the pantry is serving about the same number of families each month as it served last year - averaging 791 families monthly. The need seems to have stabilized to some degree.
Nonetheless, Amazing Grace still gives away about 25,000 food items EACH MONTH.
The bad - but very understandable - news is that those who donate food to Amazing Grace are pinched quite a bit harder and simply can't donate as much as they did in previous years. Food donations have taken a significant dip.
We very much appreciate all you do throughout the year to keep the shelves stocked, but if you are able to help out a little bit more, it would be greatly appreciated by many families. Supplies are low in ALL categories - tuna, peanut butter, beans, soups, canned fruit and veggies, cereals, pasta, pasta sauce, juices and rice.
The usual drop-off times at Amazing Grace are Mon/Wed/Fri 10am - 5pm, 139 Main St. Ext., Middletown. THE PANTRY IS CLOSED LABOR DAY, MONDAY, SEPT 6. Kathleen and volunteers are often at Amazing Grace at other times, so call 860-347-3222 if you need to arrange a different drop-off time.
-Sincere thanks from all the shoppers, staff, and volunteers at Amazing Grace
Thanks for posting Ed- so important!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I'm starting to feel a little Amazing Grace fatigue...AG is such a large part of Middletown's giving and generosity in every corner of this community.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it is time to ask surrounding towns to step up their efforts to build local food pantries? And it would be interesting to see how the distribution of funds/donations compares to the distribution of food on a town by town basis, recognizing that Middletown carries a greater burden of need regionally. It is a worthy cause that deserves solid regional support, if AG doesn't already have that in place.
Well we just keep fighting the good fight, I guess!
And the tasering of the young man in school reminds us what food insecurity can lead to. I remember being hungry almost all the time when I was in high school.
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