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Franklin Food Pantry Asks for Specific Items and No Expired Food
The Franklin Food Pantry is asking the community for some very specific items in this year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. On Saturday, May 11, Franklin letter carriers will pick up donated goods from town residents at their mailboxes and deliver them to the Franklin Food Pantry.
The Pantry is asking for donations of these specific items: (Click here for your own personal shopping list).
- Cream soups
- Canned pasta (spaghetti, ravioli, etc.)
- Dry soup
- WHITE Tuna
- Canned chicken
- Baking items (brownie and cake mixes, flour, sugar, etc.)
- Feminine hygiene products and hand soap)
Please DO NOT donate chicken soup, garbanzo beans/chick peas, black beans, green beans and boxed macaroni and cheese since the Pantry is overstocked with these items.
“We have very limited building space to store a surplus of items,” said Amy Cataldo, interim executive director of the Franklin Food Pantry. “We are asking the community for these very specific items, as well as no expired food. We are so grateful for all the donations we receive, but unfortunately, we have space constraints.”
The Pantry receives thousands of pounds of food donations monthly. Every item is checked for expiration dates by volunteers. The expired food must be disposed of, which costs the Pantry time and money.
According to Cataldo, “We are asking the community to please check expiration dates on their donations so that we can prevent excess waste and avoid volunteer burnout. This would be such a huge help to us, and much appreciated by our hard-working volunteers.”
Franklin residents can donate to the food drive by leaving a bag of non-perishable food where their letter carrier normally delivers their mail on Saturday, May 11. Some residents may receive the yellow Stamp Out Hunger grocery bags to use, but any paper or plastic bag can be used. Letter carriers will pick up the bags during their normal mail rounds and will deliver the food to the Franklin Food Pantry.
“We are so thankful to the letter carriers, and a supportive community, for helping us acquire the items that are most needed,” said Cataldo. “We have more than 1,100 individuals who count on us for food on a regular basis. We could not provide for them without the support of such a generous community.”
Cataldo said that in lieu of donating goods, individuals who want to support the Pantry can donate online here. Monetary donations allow the Pantry to purchase fresh food such as fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products to supplement the canned and boxed food donations.
For more information on the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com. The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is a nationwide effort organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) that provides food to local food banks and pantries.
