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| By Debbie Gardner PRIME Editor EAST LONGMEADOW Debbie Bardelli, owner of Bardelli's Florist on North Main Street, hopes that people have seen the sign in front of her shop. Not the one that advertises her business. The one that says her shop is a collection point for donations to The Open Pantry. "I'm very surprised," said Bardelli. "Nobody is bringing anything in." She acknowledges that the rising cost of gas and food has put a squeeze on many people's budgets, and that there are other places hosting collections right now. But she also wants the public to know that her efforts for the Open Pantry aren't just a one-time event. "People are starving, not just at the holidays," she said. "I'll accept [donations] all the time. If somebody wants to bring [food] by, I'll make sure it gets to the Open Pantry." She said people can drop off donations during business hours, which are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. - noon on Saturdays. "If I happen to be out on a delivery when you have food, I'm sure that [the people at] Coughlin's will hold it until I come back," she said. |