Second Prebyterian Church’s food pantry (Northside Food Pantry) provides those in need with food to create a balanced diet. This opportunity is only available to residents of Washington Township, IN, for which almost 18,000 people are in poverty. This food pantry is fueled off of financial donations and food donations from places like Trader Joe’s and Starbucks.
We (Justine, Jewel, and Lara) were able to volunteer at the food pantry this past Wednesday. After some quick introductions, everyone got to work. We were all “client liaisons,” meaning they assisted clients during their shopping experience inside. First, they asked each person how many people were in their family. Some people were the only ones in their household, while others were shopping for a family as big as nine. Depending on their household size, the clients were able to get different amounts of food. For example, a family sized 1-3 could get three cans of vegetables, while families bigger than that could get four. We made sure that each of the clients were aware of their options and assisted in filling their carts. We were kept very busy as they were balancing restocking shelves and assisting clients.
In just the three short hours that we were there, it was evident how big of an impact Second Prebyterian Church’s food pantry is making on our local community. Through the masks, you could see every client’s face light up as their shopping cart filled. They expressed their gratitude several times knowing that this hardship has been made easier for them, or at least for the next two weeks. If you would like to make a difference, you can sign up to volunteer or financially contribute.
