Pantry and fire department collections under way
While the San Benito Community Pantry is preparing to move into
a 5,400 square-foot space, the staff is still focused on helping
clients during its holiday food drive. At the same time, the
Hollister Fire Department is collecting toys for the holidays
– and both organizations are off to a smashing start.
Pantry and fire department collections under way
While the San Benito Community Pantry is preparing to move into a 5,400 square-foot space, the staff is still focused on helping clients during its holiday food drive. At the same time, the Hollister Fire Department is collecting toys for the holidays – and both organizations are off to a smashing start.
Community Pantry received 70,000 pounds of food last year and collected 20,000 pounds of food during 2004. The staff is likely to see an increase again this year.
“We’re probably doing pretty well so far, but it’s hard to tell because until we collect all the barrels where people are donating we don’t know what we have,” said Mary Anne Hughes, Community Pantry executive director. “Last year we had 37 barrels go out [to local businesses] and this year we had 57 go out, so that bodes well.”
The holiday season is the biggest time of year for the pantry so there is a lot of pressure to collect as much food as possible so that everyone gets enough. The food they collect now needs to last until June, when the pantry has another food drive around the same time as World Hunger Day, Hughes said.
Though the pantry feeds 5 to 6 percent of eligible families in San Benito County, Hughes would like to see the pantry’s numbers increase, since nearly 20 percent of the county’s population is eligible to receive meals.
Hughes is hopeful that a new facility will help them accommodate more families.
October’s school food drive netted 25,000 pounds of food and the business drive started on November 1. If people want to give monetary donations instead of food that is also an option.
The Hollister Fire Department started its annual toy drive last weekend and so far donations look good, said firefighter Dave Young. The fire department will be collecting new, unwrapped toys through Dec. 16 in conjunction with the California Department of Forestry and the San Benito County Fire Department. The department is collecting toys to distribute through the Salvation Army’s food distribution program. Toys are packed according to age and gender.
“It’s early to say, but this looks to be an average year so far,” Young said.
Usually the department ends up with 1,500 kids and each child receives three toys, so the department aims to collect 5,000 toys.
The two groups of children that especially need gifts are infants and early teens, between the ages of 11 and 14.
All toys will be distributed Dec. 19.
In addition, the department is also participating in the KSBW Share Christmas event happening at Nob Hill grocery store Dec. 8. KSBW will be broadcasting from the store all day and accepting food and toy donations for local programs.
Patrick O’Donnell can be reached at po*******@pi**********.com.
· Toys for Tots will be accepting new, unwrapped toys in front of K-mart Dec. 2, 9, and 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and in front of Nob Hill Dec. 8 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Drop offs will also be accepted at Hollister Fire Departments.
· Community Pantry and Second Harvest Food Bank are accepted donations at local businesses until Dec. 15. For more information, visit www.communitypantry.com or call 831-637-0340.
