Food Banks In Philly Region Trying To Keep Shelves Stocked

PHILADELPHIA REGION — The shelves can look as bare as the trees this time of the year.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that celebrates a feast of feeling plentiful for the bounty of blessings going back to the time when the Pilgrims would be grateful for surviving the harsh winters that claimed their fallen brothers and sisters.

With Thanksgiving approaching, numerous communities and organizations are holding fundraisers and food drives to feed the needy. And with SNAP benefits having been frozen, many people have appeared at food banks in the Philadelphia region in hopes of getting goods to feed their families and children.

Recently, the congregation at Trinity Orthodox Presbyterian Church held a three-week food drive benefiting the Warminster Food Bank, collecting 606 pounds of nonperishable items. Members donated high-need goods such as cereal, ready-to-serve soups and meals, boxed potatoes, rice and pasta side dishes, and coffee.

The donated food will help provide monthly groceries and supplies for families in need. Warminster Food Bank serves over 12,000 people a year in Bucks and Montgomery Counties, and the demand rises each month.

In addition to the recent food drive, various church members bring in donations each Sunday, which are delivered to the Food Bank weekly. The Church also sends a team of volunteers each week to unpack pallets of food from Philabundance.

“Our guests depend on us each month to help with their food needs,” said Mike Cerino, Executive Director, Warminster Food Bank. “We are grateful to the members of Trinity Orthodox Presbyterian Church for their efforts on our behalf, and we are looking forward to continuing this new partnership into the future.”

The Jenkintown Food Cupboard, which serves Montgomery County, often appears at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside to seek donations. Volunteers there said the pantry desperately needs more food to keep up with demand.

The community has rallied to help the food bank. Capricorn Books in Jenkintown recently held a food drive while Abington CycleBar, Jenkintown's Interact Club, the Fox & Roach/Trident Charities Team, and the residents and staff of Beaver Hill have also pitched in.

Patty Muscatello, president of the SVDP Food Pantry at St. Catherine's Siena in Horsham, said she has over 100 families coming in each week with more expected in the coming weeks with the holiday season here.

Muscatello said that the pantry asked voters to bring a donation to the polls on Election Night.

She said the food pantry received 187 bags of food, with the Horsham Township Police Department picking up donations and dropping them off at the pantry.

(Trinity Orthodox Presbyterian Church)

(SVDP Food Pantry at St. Catherine's Siena)