The Salvation Army food pantry is critically low and donations are desperately needed.
The Salvation Army, 327 Constitution St., served 180 families last month. Last year during the same time period, it served 60 families — it has tripled this year, said Captain Hope Burris of the Salvation Army. Burris said the need has increased because kids are out of school and because the Salvation Army has been helping out Reading tornado victims.
The food pantry needs everything, Burris said. Many pantry shelves are bare — the shelf that normally is full of cereal holds only one box right now. All that is in the reserve storeroom is green beans and soup. The rest of the reserves are depleted.
Donations can be dropped off at the Salvation Army or at the Salvation Army Thrift Store, 520 Constitution St. The Salvation Army will be closed Friday through Monday for the holiday and will re-open Tuesday from 9 to 4 p.m. The thrift store will be open from 9:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Items needed:
- Breakfast food (Cereal, pancake mix and syrup, oatmeal, etc.)
- Peanut butter
- Jelly
- Macaroni and cheese or box potato mix (Rice-a-Roni, Augratin Potatoes, etc.)
- Canned tomatoes
- Canned pasta meals
- Fruit (non-perishable)
- Powdered milk
- Soup/stew
- Box of crackers
- Cookies
- Jell-O or pudding
- Ramen noodles
- Canned vegetables
- Canned meats
- Large or small bags of chips
- Dry pasta (packaged)
- Packaged dry beans or rice
- Spaghetti sauce
- Box meals
- Gravy (jar or package)
- Flour
- Sugar
- Non-perishable juice
- Salad dressing, mayonnaise, catsup, mustard
- Salt and pepper and other spices
- Barbecue sauce or other sauce