Food prices have increased and people are turning to food pantries. People are hungry every day of the year not just at Thanksgiving or the holiday season.
The Abington area has a few places that people can go for food so that they don’t have to go hungry.
Saint Gregory’s Church, 330 North Abington Road, Clarks Green, accepts donations Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The food is distributed to area food pantries.
Our Lady of Snows, 301 South State St., Clarks Summit, and the Church of Saint Benedicts, 1849 Newton Ransom Blvd., Clarks Summit, also accepts donations from their parishioners.
The Gathering Place has an open-door food pantry which is located on the side of the building and is open 24 hours and 7 days a week.
“The food pantry is open to members of the community to take what they need and give what they can,” said Dori Waters president of the Gathering Place. “I think that many people underestimate the need for a food pantry in our community, but the food goes almost as fast than we can restock it. Our problem is storage. It is a very small space. It’d be better if people could donate small amounts often rather that larger quantities all at once.”
“People have been donating and I am surprised at how fast the food is going out. The Gathering Place Food Pantry does not need any beans or soups. We could use, cereal, peanut butter and jelly and health care products. The health care products are soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, child and adult diapers, deodorant, shampoo and combs and brushes. Not every pantry has these items,” said Anne Armezzani, secretary The Gathering Place.
The Gathering Place also accepts monetary donations which are used to buy pantry items.
Checks can be sent to The Gathering Place, PO Box 171, Clarks Summit, PA 18411
The Dalton Food Pantry, located at the Dalton Methodist Church, 129 South Turnpike Road, Dalton, has been distributing food for 39 years.
It is open on Monday nights from 6 p.m. to 7:30 pm. In the past, people came into the church to pick up food, but now it is drive by only. The food bank was allowed to stay open during the pandemic because of the drive-thru.
“I was looking for somewhere to volunteer,” said Nancy Thompson, coordinator of the Dalton Food Pantry. “I volunteered and it snowballed from there. I have been with the Dalton Food Pantry for 23 years. The community has been really supportive, and we could not do it without them.”
The Dalton Food Bank no longer accepts food donations. It now accepts checks and gift cards to grocery stores and Walmart. The checks are used to purchase food which is then packaged and distributed,
Checks can be made out to AME, PO Box 125, Clarks Summit, PA 18411.
Gerrity’s, 100 Old Lackawanna Trail, Clarks Summit, has a box that donations can be placed in for Keystone Mission.
Donations are important with the holiday season coming up.
