Every year during the month of November many of us are reminded to reflect on all that we are grateful for in the spirit of Thanksgiving. This season is also a time to consider those who may not have the same access to these things and to help find ways to assist in filling the void.
When thinking of ways to translate these important lessons to our TSCKids’ children, we felt it only natural to host a food drive to help stock a local food pantry. Being based in Delaware County ourselves, we were happy to share our collection with our friends at Loaves and Fishes in Prospect Park, PA.
First opened in August of 2001, this food pantry is now one of the largest in Delaware County and is a completely volunteer-run organization. The organization is a non-denominational and non-sectarian food bank striving to provide nutritionally-balanced meals to their many clients, all of whom fall within government guidelines for poverty. Prior to hosting this drive, we contacted the pantry to learn more about their current ‘wish list’ items — which included fresh fruits & vegetables, cereals, dry pasta, peanut butter and meats.
On November 2nd, TSC volunteers, prospective members and our TSCKids’ families all gathered in our Clubhouse to talk about hunger, food scarcity and the importance of having access to healthy meals — all while we worked to collect, sort, and bag the tremendous amount of food items that members generously donated for this effort.
The following week, our member volunteers pulled up to Loaves and Fishes in three large cars which were brimming with donated food items for the pantry to restock their shelves. Upon our arrival, we found that most of the Loaves and Fishes volunteers were busy tending to the long line of patrons that wrapped around the pantry, so our TSC volunteers helped to unload the bags of food and bring them inside for weighing and sorting. The pantry staff were absolutely delighted to discover that our group had contributed over 745 pounds of food and fulfilled many of their much-needed wish list items! We were elated to take part in such a major production that helps so many people throughout our county.
In 2020, an estimated 1 in 8 Americans were food insecure — and nearly half of that population is children. If you’re looking to help feed food insecure families in your community, check online to find one of the many wonderful organizations throughout the region dedicated to helping end hunger.
