February 24, 2025 newsletter

 

Good morning to all of you who have suffered through the icy snow and come out the other side! 40's and 50's this week, apparently, for most of us. Personally, I don't care nearly as much about the temperature as I do about the wind and the ice, but I know a lot of us are looking forward to more moderate temperatures.

Have I told you recently that we have the BEST group of volunteers you could imagine? Late Friday night, I began to develop bronchitis, and by Saturday morning, there was no way that I was going to be able to be there for the full pantry session. I didn't need to be. With Tina in charge, Kim, Melanie, Ned, Lin, Elliot, Sue, and Debbie made sure that everyone got the food, smiles, coffee, and encouragement they needed.

We had a LOT of help from students this past week too. Three Lawrence Academy students baked cookies for our pantry, and a 4th came over with frozen homemade lasagnas to share with our families. So, many thanks to Matt, Emma, Joshua, and Molly for the support and love! Thank you to our adult bakers too: Cathy, Leslie, Janet, Elaine, Maria, Kathy, Jennifer, Laurie, and anyone else who is planning on baking in the future. I hope I didn't miss anyone!

We also launched our first buying trip to fulfill the grant we received from Greater Lowell Community Foundation for the migrant shelter in Ayer. Two teams went out to purchase the shelf-stable items needed to stock the communal kitchen at the shelter. It was an extremely successful venture, and we look forward to the “next installment.” I believe we will be able to do this once a month for the next four months, so if you'd like to become part of a team, please let me know. Thanks so much to Mich, Denise, Alison, and Rich for doing the shopping and delivering!

We have quite a number of items we are low on right now, and we really thank those of you who've donated financially so that we can purchase what we can't get from the food bank. If you would like to shop for us this week, we are low on the following items: peanut butter, jelly, boxes of instant potatoes, soups, 18 oz containers of oatmeal, spaghetti sauce, ramen noodle packets, jiffy mix, baked beans, and canned pasta like spaghettios. We can take drop-offs at the pantry (through the gray door next to the parking lot on Cambridge Street) on Wednesdays from 10 to noon, Fridays from 4 to 5, and Saturdays only from 9 to 10. Please note that these are shorter hours than before, because of parking logistics. Please do not leave food at the door outside of these hours. The bin is always available at Shop n' Save if those times don't suit. Please leave a note in the bag with your name so we know whom to thank! We are located at 21 Washington Street, Suite C, Ayer MA 01432

Thank you for your help and support! I love you all 💕