Our first issue of The Pantry Window is now available. Click here to read or download your personal copy.

You'll find some of the articles from the current issue below, and we'll try to update this page regularly with new items of interest, so come back often to see what's new through The Pantry Window.

To keep our costs at a minimum, we plan to distribute the newsletter primarily by email, mailing as few copies as necessary. So sign up at the right to receive your own copy of future Pantry Windows via email.

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Welcome to The Pantry Window our first edition of what we hope to be a regular update on what’s new at the Weymouth Food Pantry. This inaugural issue comes at year-end and the holiday season which is, as you can imagine, a particularly trying time for our clients. This is also a busy season for our staff and volunteers as demand for food rises during the winter months. At the same time, it is gratifying to note that both financial and food donations continue to come in at a level that allows our supplies to meet demand.
Fortunately, for the Weymouth Food Pantry and our clients, Weymouth is a caring community. Our business partners, associations, religious organizations and numerous neighbors lend us unfailing support. Our dedicated group of approximately one hundred volunteers works tirelessly bringing our efforts together as we continue doing what we have done since 1987 – Feeding the Hungry of Weymouth.
When we started out in the process of developing this newsletter, we decided it should be a vehicle to let our supporters and donors have a better feel for what goes on at the Weymouth Food Pantry. With that in mind, we came up with the “Pantry Window” as the descriptive name that allows our readers to have a peek inside to better understand what we do, and how we go about our mission. Since you can also see out of a window, it allows you to see what some of our supporters do for us on a regular and often recurring basis. The Pantry Window offers reflections as well, reflections of you our supporters and donors, who provide the backing we need to continue to serve the needy residents of Weymouth.
This newsletter provides only a glimpse of all that goes on at the pantry. I urge you to browse our web site for more details and current happenings.
To all of you from all of us at the Weymouth Food Pantry, best wishes for the holiday season, and thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for all you do to support us.

Director

The Weymouth Rotary Club conducted a food drive at Shaw's Supermarket on Saturday, October 17th, and it was great success. Rotary members braved cold, wind, and rain greeting shoppers as they entered the store, and presented them with a "shopping list" of the items most needed by the pantry. The generous shoppers responded in a big way providing groceries as they left the store that filled 65 "Banana Boxes"*. In addition, shoppers donated $300 in cash, and that donation was anonymously matched by a Rotarian resulting in a total of $600 for the Weymouth Food Pantry. That will enable us to access as much as seven times that amount through the Boston Food Bank.

	* (A Banana Box measures 20" x 16" x 9" and we use them to temporarily sort and store donated food items.) Thanks to Weymouth Rotary for its continuing support of the Weymouth Food Pantry!

Happy Birthday wishes and our thanks go out to Mary Keohan of Weymouth. Mary celebrated her ___ birthday last weekend, and in lieu of gifts for her, she asked her friends and famiily to bring food items for the Food Pantry to her party. The result filled the back seat and trunk of her husband's car, and he delivered it all to the Food Pantry this week. What a thoughtful way to celebrate a birthday, and help The Weymouth Food Pantry at the same time!

During recent weeks, the food pantry has received generous food donations from a variety of donors. Here are just some of them. Regretfully, we don’t record the names of all those generous individuals who “drop off a bag of groceries” at the food pantry, or who just want to make an anonymous donation of food to help feed those in need.

Good Turn: Food Pantry volunteer Kathleen Garvey donated the bicycle her family won at the 14th $tock Our $helves Walk to the Weymouth Rotary for their Christmas Program.

“Hints from Harvey”
for the Best Foods to Donate:
Here are a few suggestions from Harvey Welch, our volunteer who watches over the Food Pantry’s shelves to keep them stocked. Donations of food will complement our inventory and keep our shelves stocked for the coming months:
- Proteins (Tuna, chicken, fish etc., Peanut Butter)
- Soups & Stews
- Rice & Pasta
- Cereal including Oatmeal
- Canned Vegetables
- Canned or Dried Beans
- Canned Fruits
- Jelly, Cookies, Crackers & Snacks
- Boxed Mixes
- Prepared Box Mixes (such as Mac ‘n Cheese or Hamburger Helper)

For additional suggestions and more detail, check out the
Donation Suggestions page on our website.

We were pleasantly surprised with a generous contribution from the winner of the 14th Annual $tock Our Shelves Walk. She decided to take the cash prize option, and In turn, shared a large portion of her winnings with the Food Pantry!
                     Thank you!

South Shore Savings Bank “goes Green” and donates $2,500 to the Food Pantry in lieu of mailing holiday greeting cards to customers and clients.

South Shore Savings Bank President &CEO, John Boucher and South Shore Savings Bank Charitable Foundation Treasurer, Tracey Kelley presented their check to Pat Adams and Gael Sullivan of Weymouth Food Pantry in the Food Pantry’s “Sorting Room”.

Thanks to Girls Scout Troops 4315 and 4365 of Weymouth whose members conducted a Can Drive during the month of October to help replenish the shelves of the Food Pantry. We really appreciate this display of citizenship and caring for neighbors. Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
We‘ve also recently received donations from other Girl Scout units;  Troop 73318, Daisy Troop 733324, Brownie Troop 73515 as well as Boy Scout Troop 9 and Cub Pack 2

Did you know? You can now donate to the Weymouth Food Pantry on line using a credit card or debiting your bank account. It's simple, easy and secure. Just click here. And, Thanks for your support!

Happy Holidays