Good news and bad news. This week, a record crowd of families came to the Cambridge Food Pantry, but they removed every item on the Cambridge Pantry Wish List from the shelves.

They need everything on the list now. I’m thinking of a watch-the-list shrink contest through Monday.

The winners and contributors can all feel good and meaningful because this means a lot to many people, many of whom are children. Nothing feels better than doing other people good.

To me, it’s more fun than going to a parade, which I will do also.

(Photo: Cambridge Pantry Director Sarah Harrington and Ava, a 10th grader and the newest and youngest volunteer.)

I asked Sarah today if there were any items she’d like me to mention over the Memorial Day weekend. She surprised me by saying, “Everything…”

“We ran out of many things this week,” she said.”There are 12 items on the list that we currently need to be more of or close to. We need all of them. This was a hectic week. Please encourage the whole list if  you can.”

I can, and I will. She suggests browsing the Wish List and donating what is comfortable and possible.

No one will starve; the  New York Food Bank will send what they can on Wednesday. But these items are among the most used and wanted, so I agreed to try them. It’s important.

I looked over the list—you can see it right here—and was interested to see that the cost of these items is consistently low. The lowest is $1; many are $8 plus change.

The most expensive was Campbell’s Chunky Chicken Pot Pie soup, which cost $20.00 for a pack of 12 cans. None of the other items cost that much.

Craft Barbecue Sauce, a much-wanted item, costs $1.

We’ve done a lot, but we can shrink this list or even eliminate it. I don’t know if we can, but it’s exciting to try.

We can fill a hole in this list for very few dollars, if not all of them. And we can even do all of it over three days. It could be exciting to see the list get smaller over the weekend.

Many of you have significantly contributed; many are busy traveling, having fun,  or visiting family. I understand completely. We are grateful for what you have done. I love challenges, especially those that do so much visible good.

I’m going to give it a try. I’ll buy several items right now, one a day, and offer updates as often as I can. Please feel free to join in if you can. I’d love to watch that list shrink through Memorial Day.

Today, I sat down with Pastor Jim Cramer, the President Of The Pantry Board and pastor of the independent Church that adjoins the pantry building. I liked him a lot; we have much in common, and I look forward to getting to know him better.

He even has a border collie.

I’ll attend a Sunday morning church service with Pastor Cramer presiding tomorrow.
I’m looking forward to it.

The pantry does not impose religious beliefs on people who come for help, and people are not asked to disclose their religious beliefs. Thanks for considering it.