Many food pantries in and around Newtown seek donations this season. At St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, they currently need canned items, cereal, peanut butter, jelly and shelf-stable milk. Donations may be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Community members in need can anonymously tap into the pantry's resources.
The Wrightstown Food Cupboard provides necessities for all families, regardless of income, to be able to celebrate the holidays by delivering baskets of food four times per year. Last Thanksgiving, they fed 114 families. The organization is based from Penns Park United Methodist Church. Interested volunteers can call 267.437.7533.
The food pantry is one of the Family Service Association of Bucks County’s many programs for local families. Located in Langhorne, they keep an up-to-date wishlist on their website, including specific items for babies and pets. Donations are accepted on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Penndel is home to one of Bucks County Housing Group’s two food pantry locations across the county; they accept all types of contributions, including canned goods, non-perishables, cleaning products, laundry supplies, gift cards and monetary donations. Uniquely, they take their items on the road, transforming into 'mobile markets' to help those without access to transportation. They set aside a dedicated window for donations from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays.
Caring For Friends
Newtown Presbyterian Church’s program is seeking volunteers to make, package and deliver free home-cooked meals to elderly community members. They need many hands for this undertaking, which can distribute as much as 250 meals at a time. To learn what types of food to contribute or more about helping, contact Ginny Francksen at 215.860.5147.
Bucks County Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired
This organization's representatives, who seek to provide support and resources to those with visual impairments, operates the Second Look Thrift Store in Newtown. The store runs on help and donations from volunteers, and the money earned from sales goes to running the foundation. Visit BucksBlind.org/Volunteer to learn about assistance opportunities.
United Way of Bucks County
United Way runs the HELP Center, a Bristol-based supplier of essential items for families across the county. In addition to taking donations of items, they look for volunteers to distribute products, stock shelves and help run special events. To learn more about volunteering, contact Sheri Ratner at sherir@uwbucks.org.
Rolling Harvest Food Rescue
Lovers of the outdoors can join Rolling Harvest’s “gleaning” efforts to redistribute farms’ surplus crops to those in need. Volunteers may join the existing gleaning groups or organize their own with 10-plus members. They also are in need of drivers and deliverers, healthy eating experts and staffers for Fresh Connect, their free farmer’s market. Learn more at BCOC.org/join-us/volunteer.
"Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and to count our blessings. Suddenly, so many things become so little when we realize how blessed and lucky we are.” ~Joyce Giraud