Other People's Pantries #96

From Lydia (that's me), in Glocester, Rhode Island:

On a weekend filled with eating and cooking and celebrating family traditions, I asked Joe Peters to let us peek into the Town of Glocester's pantry.

Stored in a space the size of my kitchen, here's what was on hand last week, to be divided among the 80 families who use the food pantry.

Joe's wife, Virginia, is the director of human services in our town (population 10,000). Joe devotes countless hours as a volunteer to collect, sort and distribute food to the families who come to the food pantry every Wednesday.

If you have a moment, give the food pantry in your area a call and ask how you can help. Maybe you can collect non-perishable items from your neighbors, or donate gift cards from a local grocery store.

 

Give thanks for the abundance in your own pantry. And thank Joe, for feeding neighbors in need in our little town.

On Saturdays, we peek into Other People's Pantries.

Come on -- show us your pantry.

*Other People's Pantries is booked through December. If you'd like this feature to continue, please send in your pantry photos. Pantries are featured every Saturday, in the order in which they're received.

Here's how.

Comments

thanks for the reminder that these food 'banks'are lifesavers for those of us without

Joe and Virginia, thanks for sharing your pantry and thank you for all the work you do to support your community.

There is always a need, thanks for the reminder.

Thank you Joe and Virginia for the work you do to help the needy.Thanks Lydia for showing us what is truly other people's pantry.

What a lovely reminder to share the abundance! Thanks, Lydia.

Ditto to all above!

This is a wonderful pantry. And I love that the pantry is stocked with such healthy food. Such an important story. Thanks Lydia.

Wonderful pantry!

I recently found a local food bank in my area and contribute to it once a month. I purchase extra when I go shopping, and when non-perishables are marked down. I usually end up taking a big box. It gives me the warm fuzzies!

Wow, 80 families...we need to donate!

Thank you for sharing this today. A very good reminder of how lucky we are. Hunger could happen to any of us with the loss of a paycheck.

I always wish I had more to give. And I'm extraordinarily thankful for what I have. Thanks for the reminder that everything helps.

Thank you, everyone. I hope your town is as lucky as mine, to have caring folks like Joe and Ginny looking out for those in need.

Thanks for posting this and it is so appropriate for this time of year. I am so amazed that Joe does all of this work and I am sure that the 80 or so families are really thankful that he has taken this on.
As you know I work with a couple of agencies that are working to address the hunger issues. Currently I am working out a partnership with a group called Food Forward. The idea is to get property owners that have fruit trees or excess produce to donate that produce to the food pantries. The organization then gathers volunteers to do the picking and packing.
We waste so much food here in America and I am so happy that others also understand that there really is a need and have made personal commitments to help others.

Kim, that sounds like a wonderful organization, and a great way to get fresh fruit into the mix of what most food pantries have available.

Thanks again for including the most important pantries of all! and for the reminder to keep them stocked.

I am amazed. Thanks Lydia for putting it up for all of us, who are visiting your blog regularly.

Whether you call it community service or not I do not know, there could be no effort nobler than feeding people in need of food.

So on behalf of all who hoard and hoard food, unwisely and discard food that goes past the expiry date, I thank this couple for showing the way.

Thank you, thank you, Lydia, for a reminder of what is important to keep in mind in this season of material overdoing. The empty spaces on those shelves call out to be filled. Your community is lucky to have Joe and Virginia.