Food Pantry Report - Oct 26, 2024
We gave away food to 435 families this past week, and have no bags left over. We need: 375 cans of tuna (canned meat), 375 mixed beans...
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St. Martin of Tours
"If you can't feed a hundred people then just feed one."
"St. Mother Teresa"
Thank you for your generosity!
Food Pantry
FOOD DISTRIBUTION
St. Martin’s Pantry distributes food every Monday throughout the year, including holidays, with rare exceptions (see note below).
We begin with the distribution of numbers for places in line, starting when we open around 5:45 am Monday morning. Distribution of food takes place beginning at 7 am. Closing time is 12 Noon, however, when there are clients still in line at Noon, the Pantry closes when the last person in line is served.
PLEASE NOTE: --In case of snow or a severe storm late Sunday and/or early Monday which results in the closure of Montgomery County Public Schools, the Pantry will also close.
On the rare occasion that Christmas and New Year's Day falls on a Monday, those two distributions only will move to Tuesday December 26 and Tuesday January 2.
WHAT TO DONATE
All of the following are needed for our regular food distribution: canned soup, pasta sauce, pasta, canned vegetables, canned tuna, canned beans, boxed macaroni & cheese, dried potatoes, dried rice, dried beans, canned fruit, dried soup/ramen, unsweetened breakfast cereal, cooking oil up to 14oz bottles, peanut butter & jelly, cookies and crackers, powdered milk, potatoes, apples, oranges, personal hygiene products and paper products, Numbers 1 and 2 baby food, and baby formula (please, no larger than one pound package to facilitate distribution), and disposable diapers especially sizes 5 and 6.
Donating fresh bread or produce? Try to leave it with us Thursday or Friday morning or Sunday afternoon so as to keep it as fresh as possible for the Monday morning distribution. Do NOT leave it outside unattended –local wildlife will appreciate it, however we cannot distribute it after they have sampled it!
Frozen and refrigerated food donations must NOT be left unattended. If they thaw or warm up we must trash them. Bring them during Pantry operating hours or make special arrangements with us to insure required preservation!
Please limit Food unit/Can sizes! Note that a large number of our clients walk or travel by bus to the Pantry, and thus are limited in respect to how much they can carry away. Further, very large cans and packages do not fit in the grocery bags we prepare for the clients. We MAY be able to pass such oversize items to the Lord's Table or Shepherd's Table, but cannot use them ourselves..
Very large boxes or bags of cereal make sense for a large family, however we cannot normally split them up. If you can provide a larger number of smaller boxes of cereal, you will help us to help more families.
We can split up large bags of rice and a few other items, such as tea bags, but for the most part large cans, boxes and other large containers are not suitable for our distribution. Cases of regular-size cans are, of course, very useful, but please avoid the largest unit sizes!
WHAT NOT TO DONATE:
The above list gives items we need for the weekly food distribution. Donations at times include a much wider variety of items, however. Please note items which we do not distribute: non-commercial packaged or home-canned items (unless the source is well known to us); dented cans; opened items; alcoholic beverages; prescription or over-the-counter medicines; “non-perishable” food past its expiration date (although we can pass on not-too-far expired items to other programs that can use them); Insect sprays and poisons, Pet food – any turning up in our distribution is passed on to the Humane Society or animal rescue organizations; and candy, as the basic goal of the program is nutrition (except for items appropriate for clients’ young children present at the distribution).
FOOD DONATIONS
Have a food donation to drop off at the Pantry? Weather permitting, the Pantry crew is on duty in the Pantry Building (directly behind St. Martin's Church – use the door facing Summit Ave closer to the church) Sundays from Noon to 4 pm, Mondays from 6 am until Noon (please come after 9am to avoid the larger crowds), and Thursday and Fridays from about 9:40 am to 1 pm. At other times, food may be dropped off at St. Martin’s Church Office (north of the Church on Rt. 355) - 9 am to 12:30 weekdays)
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE FOOD OUTSIDE THE CHURCH, OFFICE OR PANTRY/ANNEX
VOLUNTEERS - ADULTS
Why pay for a gym to keep in shape? St. Martin’s Pantry is free (and with spiritual side benefits)!
-- We desperately need adult help working inside the Pantry Friday and Monday mornings. (Sunday afternoon is also available.) However adults require clearance through the Archdiocesan Virtus (child protection) Program before they start. Some may already have this clearance through working with other programs. In this case, come in and see us! If not, contact the Church Office for the procedure and required forms. The forms and procedure are also available from the Pantry during our working hours on the above three days.
-- Help with donation pickup may also be needed – Virtus clearance not required but some physical strength and a large vehicle could be useful.
VOLUNTEERS – HIGH SCHOOL
For student service in the Pantry: High School students are welcome, may come by themselves, and do not require Virtus clearance (but have to fill out the Archdiocesan volunteer form). Public school students should check with their counselor to verify whether pre-clearance of Pantry service is necessary to receive credit from their school. PLEASE NOTE: STUDENTS BELOW HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL MAY VOLUNTEER IN THE PANTRY ONLY WITH AN ACCOMPANYING VIRTUS-CLEARED PARENT (see above for clearance information).
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