I was excited to learn that the Army of Good had responded wonderfully to the Cambridge Food Pantry’s call for help filling the backlog. It had reached its goal of supplying 150 children with food on weekends when school programs were unavailable.
(The hygiene supply request for the pantry is just below. Sarah’s Clean Up Cam)
This has been a massive problem for families, teachers, and the food pantry – so many children don’t have enough food or any food on Friday evenings through Mondays. Children were telling their teachers they feared going home and being hungry. The pantry and the school stepped up and created the backpack program, which collected bags of healthy, nourishing food in bags and distributed them to every family that signed up for the program.
The pantry was overwhelmed last week when 150 people signed up. Their Thursday supplies were drained. They asked for oatmeal packages, pop-tarts, pastries, breakfast foods, kids’ snacks, variety packs, and Breakfast essentials like Power Drink Mix, Milk Chocolate, and Cheerios Cereal with whole grains. The backpack program seeks to find food that nourishes and energizes.
“They went crazy this time!”Sarah told me we got a lot over the next few weeks. We more than reached our goal of feeding these 150 children. Great job! They are such kind people.”
Indeed. This kind of support was unimaginable for the food pantry until the Army of Good came alone, supported as always, by the remarkable, small but dedicated army of volunteers.
The backpack food is expected to arrive today or tomorrow; I hope to get some pictures. You deserve to see the small miracles you know regularly bring about. You are the real America. Thanks, and thank you again. Sarah is right: such kind people.
______
Sarah’s Monday request for two items to keep her cleanliness and health program going. Deodorant, say, researchers, is essential for social etiquette, personal hygiene, and for people living in close quarters, which people with low incomes most often are:
Men Aluminum Free Deodorant for Men, 48-hour Odor Protection, Pack of 6, $28.32.
Putting together the packs.
You can access the Cambridge Pantry Amazon Food Wish List by clicking on any link or the green box at the bottom of every blog post. The list is updated regularly, and everything on it is urgently needed. Thank you for browsing and making your donations. We appreciate your help.
From the Amazon checkout page, you can send Sara and the Cambridge Pantry Volunteers messages of hope and appreciation for their work.
Thanks for your help with the backpack program. We hope to fulfill these wish list requests before the backpacks are assembled at Cambridge Central High School on Thursday.
Backpacks for children ready to go out to the school on Thursdays.