The blog is taking another opportunity to do good. We will try small acts of great kindness and help them as much as possible. As we have learned, this feels good.
Sarah Harrington is the new Executive Director of my town’s much-loved but needy food pantry. The number of visitors has gone up 18 percent in recent months. Sarah has asked me to advocate for this small but desperately needed food source created by Pastor Jim Cramer. I agree; this week has already demonstrated that it’s a perfect match for the Army Of Good.
The Army Of Good has sent nearly 300 lbs of needed food this week, a great way to begin a relationship that gives us a chance to do real good. They work day and night to get food to families who can’t afford to buy the food they need.
Sarah has given us an unusual Amazon Cambridge Food Pantry Wish List, the first in our connection with them.
The pantry gets steady donations from local supermarkets, but the wish list includes items that the pantry needs help getting from grocery stores or other sources. The list contains 17 items, ranging from $2.48 to $58 for baby formula. If you need a phone number for Amazon, it is 518 677-7152.
(Most of the foods on this shelf came from the Army of Good. Thank you.)
According to the USDA, more than 40 million Americans, including 20 million children, need food support.
We can’t help all of them, but we can help the people who need the town’s food pantry – small acts of great kindness.
With this new list, you can help quickly by ordering any of these items in any amount you wish; it will be automatically sent to Sara Harrington, c/o The Cambridge Food Pantry, 24 East Main Stree, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.
The list seeks chicken noodle soup, baby formula, bar soap, parmesan romano cheese canisters, ground pepper, baking powder, table salt, chunky peanut butter, vanilla extract, glass cleaner, Heinz sweet relish, mayonnaise, and yellow mustard.
There is great demand for all these foods and items.
The Wish List items above are all food items that the pantry can’t get from markets and grocery stores, and they need to figure out why. The good in shelves goes quickly. The people who come for the food are shy and embarrassed. I won’t take any photos of them, but I will talk to those willing to speak to me.
Our first week has been successful and promising. You can see the Wish List here.
In addition to all the food pouring into the shelter, I asked for help from three local merchants: Kean Mcllvaine of Covered Wagon Bread, Sue Lamberti of the Cambridge Flower Shop, and Cindy Casavant (goat lady). Kean is donating bread and Sue flowers for the pantry’s meetings and services, and Cindy is giving me soap tomorrow to bring to the pantry.
Sarah hopes to organize the community around helping out with the pantry, which has struggled at times. She’s building a website to get things started.
I’m also meeting with one of the people in excellent food need tomorrow; I want to understand better why so many people are struggling to feed their families. I know, but I want to hear it from them. Summer, who I am seeing tomorrow, is a biological sun but often takes care of up to seven children whose parents need help raising them. She’s had her troubles and can’t afford to feed her family or the other children without the pantry.
Sue is donating flowers from her flower shop for pantry gatherings.
The pantry has a beautiful, simple chapel for Sunday worship. Pastor Cramer, who founded the pantry, is also the pastor of the Cornerstone Each Church.
Sarah, getting the tables set for hungry visitors.
The pantry’s truck is ancient, busy all day, and falling apart. A new one will cost about $30,000. Sarah is considering starting a GoFundMe campaign, which I will support.