Which Came First?

On most Thursdays since mid 2008, from before his appearance on ABC's 20/20 with Elizabeth Vargas last April to tell of the miracle that changed his life and since then as well, Joe Amaral can be found quietly and humbly working alongside the many other volunteers at the Saint Anthony's Food Pantry … well humbly anyway but probably not quietly … Joe likes to talk with the people who come to the pantry for food and they like to talk with him. There is never a shortage of things to talk about ... the weather, local sports and of course food. A wide variety of food is distributed at the pantry and quite frequently chickens and eggs are among the food given out. Recently Joe's discussions have been, not surprisingly if you know Joe, about "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Good question right? The many persons coming through the pantry have many different thoughts on this and Joe has his as well … he's able to give answers from a multitude of perspectives … theological, dictionary order, biological, and even food pantry counter position … but it's obvious that the friendly conversation and not the exact answer is what is most important to Joe and the pantry visitors.

But if you want to move beyond the chicken and egg question, if you want to get serious, and want to really know "What comes first?" Joe will tell you that for him the answer is very easy. For Joe "God comes first".

July Food Deliveries

Food delivery dates for this month are Tuesday July 13 at 12:15, Wednesday July 14 at 1:15, Wednesday July 21 at 1:15 and Wednesday July 28 at 3:15. Helping unload and store the cases of food received in these deliveries is an excellent opportunity for you to support the Saint Anthony's Food Pantry. If you are available to help at any of the delivery times for the month of July let us know by calling Paula, the Food Pantry Coordinator at 508-993-1691.

Please note that you can check for upcoming deliveries and other pantry activity by looking at our calendar here or using the link under "Basic Pantry Information" in the menu on the right.

May Report

On the four Thursdays that the pantry was open this May we provided 2,948 bags of groceries to help a total of 737 families ... 664 of those households we helped had children under the age of 18. During May we also served 947 meals.

Every item donated goes to help someone. A can of tuna, a jar of peanut butter or a can of soup can make the difference between someone going to bed hungry or not. Thank you for each and every donation.

June Food Deliveries

The many bags of groceries we distribute each week reguires that we have regular deliveries of food to the pantry each month. Food delivery dates for this month are Tuesday June 8 at 12:15, Wednesday June 9 at 1:15, Wednesday June 16 at 1:15 and Wednesday June 23 at 3:15. Helping unload and store the cases of food received in these deliveries is an excellent opportunity for you to support the Saint Anthony's Food Pantry ... the process takes less than an hour and you can get as much exercise as a work out at the gym! If you are available to help at any of the delivery times for the month of June let us know by calling Paula, the Food Pantry Coordinator at 508-993-1691.

Feinstein Million Dollar Give-a-Way Update

Thank you for your generosity in supporting our taking part in the national Feinstein Million Dollar Give-a-Way for food pantries in 2010. This year we have earned a total of 25,720 points ... this is more than double the 12,00 points we earned last year ... and more than six times the 4,085 points we earned in 2006 when we first began participating in the Feinstein Give-a-Way. We are waiting now to learn what the pantry's dollar allocation will be.

April Report

April was another busy month. On the five Thursdays that the pantry was open this April we provided 6,156 bags of groceries to help a total of 1,539 clients from 794 households ... 745 of those we helped were children under the age of 18. And we still average 30 new families a week seeking help!

Every item donated goes to help someone. A can of tuna, a jar of peanut butter or a can of soup can make the difference between someone going to bed hungry or not. Thank you for each and every donation.

Pots and Pans

During the last 12 months, from the end of April 2009 through April 2010, the pantry at Saint Anthony's has served over 9,000 lunches … that's a lot of food, a lot of cooking … and a lot of scrubbing pots and pans. Yes, we are very appreciative of the generosity of the people who've given donations that make our lunch program possible, and certainly we are most grateful for the hard work of the people who helped prepare the 9,634 lunches served but we are also especially thankful for the young men and women from the Southeastern Massachusetts Educational Collaborative (SMEC) who over the last four years have supported our lunch program by washing and drying the many, many pots, pan and utensils that were used to make our lunches. Their tireless and dependable contribution over the lengthy time they have worked with us, though it goes largely unseen by visitors to the pantry, has been vitally important to our lunch program and to the community. This last week the team from SMEC included Lynn, Amy, and Megan along with Heather, Jeffry, Jen, Jordan and Ed. When asked about why he volunteers at the pantry Jeffry paused briefly from washing a pan and answered that he did this because the pantry folk are "wonderful people". Jeff's praise of the other volunteers at the pantry is great to hear … he and the others from SMEC are "wonderful" as well … and there are always opportunities at the pantry for even more "wonderful people".