It is the year of the tomato and gardeners have shared the bounty, delivering bags full of their plentiful crops to the FISH Food Pantry.
The generosity has provided more than enough produce for clients to add to their late-summer meals, but the pantry needs more of a wider variety of food to last until the holiday season when donations traditionally pick up.
“We’re blessed, but it’s those in between times that we need to fill the gaps,” said Ellen Simpson, pantry manager.
FISH will collect perishable and non-perishable goods during the Labor of Love food drive from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Kroger. Monetary donations are also accepted. The agency collected about 550 pounds of food and around $300 in financial gifts during the last drive in February.
The food is distributed four days a week (the pantry is closed on Mondays due to lower volunteers) from the Knights of Columbus building on the St. Bernard Catholic Church campus. Twice a month, FISH delivers meals to homebound seniors in a year-long pilot program through Food Finders Food Bank.
The number of seniors receiving the meals has grown to 30, up from seven when the program launched in the spring. Volunteers from Rock Point Church help with the deliveries.
“If it gets bigger, we’re going to have to pull in more volunteers,” Simpson said.
Among the pantry’s 15 active volunteers are missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who pick up weekly bread donations from Kroger.
The pantry also receives donations from Nicholson Elementary’s garden and the Montgomery County Master Gardeners.
For more information about the pantry or to volunteer, call the hotline at 765-362-FISH.
