Feeding a need Meadow Lands church opens food pantry; distribution starts today
Toni Vallone, co-coordinator of the Meadow Lands Food Pantry, second from left, discusses how to unpack the produce with volunteers, from left, Bryce Hatch, Pat Dembrak and Barbara and Dave Kitta.
George Pecharka and Toni Vallone, co-coordinators of the Meadow Lands Food Pantry, inventory the canned goods after the first shipment of food arrived Wednesday morning.
Bryce Hatch and Pat Dembrak, volunteers from Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Church in Meadow Lands, look through boxes of perishable food items before sorting them at the Meadow Lands Food Pantry.
Bryce Hatch and Pat Dembrak unload and refrigerate frozen food items.
Toni Vallone tries to figure out how volunteers are going to break down some of the pre-packaged fruits and vegetables.
A sample of the produce the Meadow Lands Food Pantry received from the Greater Washington County Food Bank
MEADOW LANDS – Thanks to the generous spirit of members of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, fewer Washington County families will be at risk of going hungry.
On Wednesday morning, about a dozen volunteers from the Meadow Lands church were busy unloading and unpacking four pallets filled with boxes of canned goods, cereal, produce, meat, bread and baked goods from the Greater Washington County Food Bank in preparation for today’s grand opening of the Meadow Lands Food Pantry.
In fact, the food pantry received so much perishable food that another freezer and refrigerator had to be moved into the pantry from the church and CCD Center to accommodate all of the donations.
“There is more frozen stuff than I expected,” said George Pecharka, who is serving as one of the pantry’s coordinators along with Toni Vallone and Bob Bradley.
But on this day, Vallone was taking charge, conducting the required inventory on canned goods and trying to determine if there was enough meat and chicken to give one packet of each to all of the families who register.
“We are hoping to serve 50 people. Do we have enough for 50 people?” Vallone called out to the volunteers.
She didn’t get an immediate response, but that was OK. She had other things to do.
Vallone made a list of the nonperishable items that additional volunteers were later going to pack in individual boxes. Each box was to contain one can each of green beans, spinach, corn, peas, spaghetti sauce, meat and chowder; one orange juice; one jar each of peanut butter and jelly; and one box each of macaroni, spaghetti and cereal.
“It is quite an undertaking to put the boxes together,” said Vallone, adding that she was among the volunteers who visited other food pantries to learn how they function so the Meadow Lands pantry would operate smoothly. “I’ve gone over this 50 times in my head,” she said.
Vallone said she also plans to break down some of the pre-packaged fruits and vegetables so that each family gets as much variety as possible.
The number and size of the families will determine the amount of food they receive, and each month, the selection most likely will be different, depending on what is donated to the food bank from local grocery stores.
“We don’t know what they are going to bring every month,” Vallone said.
For instance, this month there was an abundance of sweets, such as sheet cakes, muffins, cupcakes and layer cakes, not to mention sandwich croissants and other bread.
Vallone said the church decided to establish the food pantry for one simple reason. “There is a need in the community. George did the research, and there is a need for another food pantry.”
Food shipments will be received the fourth Wednesday of each month, with food distribution held from 9 to 11 a.m. the fourth Saturday of each month. Income eligibility guidelines are as follows:
• One-person household – $1,485 monthly maximum income.
• Two-person household – $2,003.
• Three-person household – $2,520.
• Four-person household – $3,038.
• Five-person household – $3,555
• Six-person household – $4,073.
• Seven-person household – $4,591.
• Eight-person household – $5,111.
For each additional family member, add $520 per month.
Those who request food will need to present photo identification and proof of residence in Washington County, such as a utility bill. Applications for food assistance will be completed upon arrival.
For more information about the Meadow Lands Food Pantry, call 724-503-4083 or email georgepecharka@gmail.com.