34 South Main St., Attleboro, MA - (508) 222-7000
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Wanted: Food for North Attleboro pantry
Top Headlines Food has been flying off the shelves at the food pantry, which is run by the town's health department, and donations have not been able to keep pace. "Lenore's Pantry is in dire need of food," Fleming said. "In the 10 years I've been here, I've never seen the shelves so bare. We have a very generous and caring community that has been great about making donations, but we have more people coming in." With skyrocketing fuel costs, the biggest jump in food prices in almost two decades and a tightening economy, more local families are requiring help to just get by. Fleming said the food pantry's numbers have doubled in recent years - from helping out about 30 families by providing monthly bags of non-perishable food items to now helping more than 80. While Lenore's Pantry received a large donation of food items from the Postal Service's annual drive, all of that food already has been handed out. That food drive usually carries the pantry through the summer, but this year all of the non-perishable items were already handed out by the first week in June. Fleming wrote letters to the editor asking residents to consider making donations, and said she has already seen an impact. "I'm happy to report, it's had an impact already. We've had several people bring in bags of groceries. I even had a family with five children come in, with each one carrying a box or a can," she said. The food pantry is particularly in need of cereal, ravioli-type canned pasta, soups, vegetables, fruit, peanut butter, jelly and crackers. Donations can be dropped off at the board of health office in town hall. While donations of food items are preferred, the food pantry will also take donations of cash or gift cards from local supermarkets. For questions about making a donation, contact the board of health office at 508-699-0104. AMY DeMELIA can be reached at 508-236-0334 or at ademelia@thesunchronicle.com.
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