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Date: 2/5/2020
EAST LONGMEADOW – “It started when I stopped into the Stop and Shop and saw a sign that said the food pantry needed donations,” said Tracy Walsh. She said she hadn’t even realized that the town had a food pantry, which she described as two closets in the senior center.
Once Walsh learned that the first months of the year were a slow time for pantry donations, she decided to do something about it.
The “Share the Love” Drive-Through Can Drive will take place Feb. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the St. Michael’s Community Center, on 53 Somers Rd. Walsh said she was inspired by the well-known drive-thru dinners that the Community Center hosts.
“Drive in, hand [the donations] out the window – you don’t even have to get out of your car,” Walsh said.
Members of the St. Michael’s Parish youth groups will be manning the event, collecting donations that will be brought to the senior center on Valentine’s Day morning.
“We need to get some information out to East Longmeadow that the food pantry services 150 to 200 people per month,” Walsh said, “Unfortunately, people think it’s just for seniors, but it’s not.”
Walsh continued, “There is a need, not just around the holidays, but year-round,” noting that the next “big lull is in the summer when families with children aren’t receiving lunch at school.”
Suggested donation items include:
• box cereals
• instant oatmeal
• crackers
• alfredo and spaghetti sauce
• pasta
• prepared foods, such as ravioli, soups and stews
• baked beans
• canned meats, such as, chicken, tuna, ham, turkey and Spam
• juice boxes
• nuts
• pancake mix and syrup
• canned fruits
• applesauce
The East Longmeadow Food Pantry is located at the Pleasant View Senior Center, 328 N. Main St., and is open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Proof of residency is required.