By: Brian Shappell
The Food Pantry at the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury is getting ready for one of its busiest times of year.
Throughout the course of the next several weeks, church deacons will collect, pack and distribute food to needy families throughout the area for Thanksgiving and the December holiday season.
“It’s a wonderful, heart-warming experience,” said Food Pantry Coordinator Sue Leson. “The tables get packed almost to the point of breaking. You can’t help but be overwhelmed.”
With some help from local Boy and Cub scouts, plenty of donations already have been received. Scouts distributed empty plastic bags to residents several weeks ago with the hope that, when they returned the following week, they would be filled with donated food.
The church will be the scene Nov. 17 when volunteers, Girl Scouts and anyone else who wants to get involved sort through the food and pack up holiday food baskets.
The food pantry is still welcoming donations, especially financial. Ms. Leson said actual money can go farther than food donations when shopping a food banks such as Mercer Street Friends.
“We purchase food from charitable food banks; for example, we can purchase a can of tomatoes for 23 cents as opposed to 79 cents,” she said.
Checks can be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury out to the Cranbury Presbyterian Church. Be sure to include the words “food pantry” in the memo section. Checks should be sent to 23 South Main Street.
The pantry also is accepting food donations. Ms. Leson said they are looking for non-perishable staple goods such as pasta, rice, cereal and beans of all sorts, as well as any canned fruit, meals and soup.
