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Catholic Charities Spring Food Drive

Food Pantries: A Bridge to Those in Need

There is not a “typical” person receiving help through the Catholic Charities emergency food pantries. The people that come to the Monsignor Owen’s Pantry in Binghamton or Mother Teresa’s Cupboard in Endicott have the same basic need for food, but they find themselves at the pantry because of very different circumstances. The common phrase we often hear from those having to use our pantries is: “I never thought I’d be in this situation.”

What are the circumstances that bring people to our pantries?
• There is the grandmother who has become a temporary guardian for one or more of her grandchildren, or the father who gets injured off the job and has to wait for disability payments to take effect;
• There is the mother or father that has been laid off, or the woman whose car has broken down and must stretch her paycheck to get it repaired;
• And there is the single parent that is working two jobs to make ends meet and needs help to see that her kids have enough food.

Our pantries are busy places where dedicated volunteers give of their time to ensure that food gets to adults and children who would otherwise go hungry. Forty-three percent of the food provided goes to children and the elderly of Broome County. Hunger strikes adults and children alike, but the toll hunger takes is especially damaging to growing bodies and minds and on the elderly, who often endure extended periods without adequate nutrition.

There is a misconception that the emergency food pantries are utilized by the same people over and over. The reality is that most often the pantries provide a bridge that is there to get people through difficult circumstances. These circumstances can affect virtually anyone at some time in their lives.

The Catholic Charities of Broome County Emergency Food Pantries provide a bridge for 5,000 individuals each month. With the help of generous individuals and compassionate volunteers we can be there for those in our midst who would otherwise go hungry.

You can provide support for that bridge with a donation to the special Catholic Charities Food Drive taking place through April. As part of the Feinstein Challenge, any donation you make will receive a proportional match from the Feinstein Foundation.

To make a financial donation, click on our “Donate Now” tab located on our Home Page, or send a check made out to “Catholic Charities” to 232 Main Street, Binghamton New York, 13905, Attn: Feinstein Challenge.

You can also make a donation of food. Feel free to drop off food donations at either of our Pantry sites.

Thank you for your generosity.

“For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat…” Matthew 25:35