Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

Two months ago, we celebrated Women’s Day at the Cambridge Food Pantry with a new and complete women’s shelf, and the other day, it was Mexican Food Day, marking the first time Mexican sauces and salsa were on a Pantry shelf.

We also devoted a day to getting dental paste and fixtures so the elderly Pantry customers could use their teeth again.

Your support is instrumental in helping the pantry to break new ground.

This weekend, we’re facing an urgent need. We’re reaching out to you for immediate assistance in providing diapers and wipes to the mothers and fathers in our Pantry food assistance community. Your prompt action can make a significant difference.

The need is pressing, and your help is crucial. Diapers and wipes cost between $10 and $11.33.

At the moment, food deprivation is not about starvation but choices: whether to pay the electric bill or have coffee or cereal for breakfast. Salaries are static; prices are not.

“The pantry was busy this week,” Sarah just texted me. “We are out of everything I have on the Wish List!” She says local farmers and gardeners have helped the pantry keep up to date on produce, something we can’t help them with.

Sarah has organized a small army of generous gardeners who bring her fresh produce. “I keep adding a bag of this or that to the produce section fresh from their gardens. “Today, I bet five people brought us about 10 lbs each of seasonal produce. It makes a nice variety. We had a ton of plum tomatoes today for the first time. People loved them.”

She is gathering every imaginable resource for the pantry. You are helping incredibly.

I remember how draining life was for my wife and me when our daughter was a baby.  It is round-the-clock work. My job was diaper change and wiping. I can hardly imagine what it might be like to choose between new diapers and gasoline to get to work.

That’s what M, a Mansion patron, told me she had to do for many weeks.

She said she has to make the same choice about wipes. “I never have enough,” she said. Most of the Pantry parents are single mothers with small children. Some have several jobs, but they need more money to buy the food they need for their children or the diapers or wipes they need for their babies.

This is a heartbreaking situation, and Sarah is asking us to help. I named this Baby Weekend Diapers and Wipes Weekend. These items will be on the Wish List until Sunday night or Monday morning. Sarah said again that she was so grateful for your help.

I almost heard the cavalry charging when I told M that help was coming. Moments like these remind us of our country’s true spirit—joy, generosity, and a deep concern for those in need. We are all part of this shared history; your support is a testament to that.

Your support makes a significant difference in the lives of these families. The three items below are the most urgently needed on the Cambridge Pantry Amazon Wish List, along with nine other items that Sarah from the pantry would love to see back on her shelves. Your donations will help fill these shelves and bring much-needed relief to these families, showing them they are not alone in their struggle. Feel free to make your own donation choices; many of you buy more than one thing. Bless you. The Wish Lists are updated several times a day, and if Sarah takes one down, it means she has enough for now; she has limited room for storage.

And she just texted me to say they are out of everything on the wish list.

Premium Baby Diapers Size 1 (32 Count, Extra-Absorbent Comfort Fit, $10.99.

Size 5 Eco-Friendly Diapers (24-35lbs) Chlorine Free,  Soft Organic Cotton, 12 Hours Leak Protection, Pack of 20, $10.97.

Huggies Natural Care Sensitive Baby Wipes, Hypoallergenic, Unscented, Flip-Top Packs (280 Wipes), 11.33.

Reminder: You can now access the Cambridge Pantry Amazon Wish List anytime, day or night. Just click on the green button below at the bottom of every post I make on the blog.  Carol is deeply grateful for your very generous and inspiring support. Your willingness to help these families in need is truly unique. Thank you. We’ll focus on a new item on Monday; it’s all babies this weekend.

Sarah Harrington, the Cambridge Food Pantry’s Executive Director, is skilled at many things. She is a designer by training, and in addition to running the food pantry and fighting for its patronage, she is working hard to bring a sense of community to it.

She acknowledges the volunteers’ hard work and shows her appreciation.

I enjoy working with her. Her latest good idea is classy T-Shirts for the many hard working pantry volunteers.

She is also re-designing the food pantry to make it brighter and more modern. She is also a wicked grant seeker.

She is bringing tremendous energy, lifting the morale of the volunteers, and touching the community, her community, and beyond. I’m urging her to sell them and raise money for the pantry through the Army Of Good.

She is the person who invited me to be an advocate for the pantry, and that has worked out well (to say the least.)

One of Sarah’s designs, these T-shirts, made a significant impact at the Memorial Day Parade for the Food Pantry. They were a huge hit, drawing attention to the cause and the hard work of the volunteers.

The T-shirts have been ordered for volunteers only. I don’t wear T-shirts, but I asked for one for Maria. I know she would love the design. She works as a volunteer at the pantry every week.

I love the sense of community and achievement that Sarah is bringing to the pantry; it’s exciting to watch her work. It’s also been a great gift to me; it gives significant meaning to my life and work and has fired up Ithe Army of Good.

The world needs good deeds right now, community, and empathy.

We’re due for a Compassion Revolution.

This is another chance to make many of the Cambridge Food Pantry’s patrons happy for pennies.

Sarah tells me that Velveeta shells and cheese disappear  faster than any other pasta and are very difficult for the pantry to get from the food bank (they can only offer what the bank sends them.)

Turkey stuffing mix is one of  the most requested foods for one of the healthiest dinners. It’s also pretty damn cheap.

Today, both items are on the list of urgently needed items.

The turkey stuffing is especially popular now that cooler weather is coming, so it’s suitable for a hearty meal this fall. I am learning a great deal about food, hunger, and choices. Sarah is educating me.

Velvette Shells And Cheese, Original Shell Pasta & Cheese, Saude Meal (3ct Pack, 12 Oz Boxes), $7.47.

Amazon Fresh, Stuffing Mix Turkey Flavor, 6 Oz, $1.42

Note: You can visit and order from the Cambridge Food Pantry Amazon Wish List anytime, day or night, seven days a week. You can choose what you wish to donate and when and for how much money. You control all of it; there are no middle-man fees or administrative charges.

There are now 12 items listed on the wish list we use. Sarah updates them several times a day. Everything on the list is something the pantry is out of running out of or can’t get. Every donation matters; it lifts morale, offers sorely missed food, and is as inexpensive as we can muster. Thanks so much for supporting it.

P.S. Our weekend food is for Baby Support, diapers, and wet wipes. Both are on the Wish List now if anyone wants to get a jump on the weekend. I start or end every day by buying one item for the food pantry. I wake up feeling good and so right to sleep. Both items are on the wish list here. Remember to click the green button at the bottom of every blog post here.