Food donations on June 20 will Pack the Pantry

ThisWeek CW 06-18-2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/06/15/food-donations-on-june-20-will-pack-the-pantry.html

The Canal Winchester, Groveport and Pickerington food pantries will partner with the Madison and Violet Township fire departments for the fifth annual Pack the Pantry food drive on June 20.

The event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. aims to restock depleted shelves for the summer for pantries serving the Canal Winchester, Bloom Carroll, Groveport and Pickerington school districts.

All contributions will stay local, supporting the community in which they were collected, according to organizer Penny Miller, administrator of Canal Winchester Human Services.

Donations will be accepted at these locations:

* The Canal Winchester Community Food Pantry will receive donations collected at Madison Township Fire Station 182, 6600 Gender Road.

* The Groveport Food Pantry will receive the donations collected at Madison Township Fire Station 181, 4567 Firehouse Lane, just off Hamilton Road.

* The PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington will receive donations collected at all three Violet Township fire stations at 2365 Taylor Square Drive, 8700 Refugee Road and 21 Lockville Road.

“We are pleased the Madison and Violet Township firehouses are opening their doors each June to support these three food pantries,” Miller said.

“Pack the Pantry is another shining example of how our local communities work together to help our neighbors in need. We hope everyone will add it as one of their Saturday morning errands on June 20.”

The goal is to exceed last year’s donations of around 2,000 items.

“Many people are surprised to learn that summer is the most stressful time of the year for our food pantries,” Miller said.

“Donations are always down and the families we serve have a greater need because children are home and the free meals provided at school are not available to them.”

Each of the pantries distributes more than 1,000 items weekly, making it difficult to keep up with demand.

For more information, or to make a direct donation to one of the pantries, email Miller at the Canal Winchester Community Food Pantry at penny. cwhs@gmail.com; Becky Soles at the Groveport Food Pantry at beckybob@me.com; or Gessica Peraza at the PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington atpcmafoodpantry@gmail.com.