Fri., Sept. 26, Catholic Campus Ministry, United Campus Ministry and the Community Service Office are holding an emergency food drive for the Plymouth Area Community Closet Food Bank.
The food drive will benefit all of Grafton County at Whole Village Family Resource Center on 258 Highland Street in Plymouth. On Tues. and Thurs. members of the Greater Plymouth area are welcome to visit Whole Village where they receive federally as well as locally donated food.
“Over the last seven to eight years there has been a budget cut all across New Hampshire where we have been receiving less and less,” Protestant Campus Chaplain of the United Campus Ministry Preston Fuller said. “Now there is an all-time demand in Grafton County.”
In the past, campus organizations such as the caseball team, Sodexo and the Student Senate have held food drives. The purpose of this current food drive is to see what the campus can do in just one week.
“The problem isn’t going away. This is going to help out but it isn’t going to cure it,” said Fuller. Items in particular need are hearty soups, canned vegetables, canned chicken and tuna, beans and healthy boxed cereals. These foods, many which are high in protein, are the most beneficial to the food bank.
The Plymouth Area Community Closet (PACC) is open year round and assists the community in many ways. The food bank is open Tues. and Thurs. from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and provides members of the community in need with items from the USDA surplus food program, the New Hampshire Food Bank and local donations, according to Wholevillage.net.
“Meals for Many” is a program put on by P.A.C.C. held every Thurs. at 5 p.m. at the Plymouth Congregational Church on the Common. Each week a hot meal is served to those in need in the Plymouth area since 1990. The program relies solely on volunteers to continue running. Many students in the area have helped out at the program as a way to volunteer community service.
As well as aiding the hungry, P.A.C.C. also helps those in financial need with emergency funds for items such as clothing, fuel, medicine, security deposits and utility bills. This assistance is held Tues. and Thurs. from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Another program called “2nd Comings” resembles a Salvation Army. Recycled items such as clothing and furniture are given to those in need or sold as a way to generate income for other P.A.C.C. projects. This is held from Tues. to Sat., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
At the end of the food drive, the results will be weighed. More food drives will occur during the year in order to continue to help the P.A.C.C.
To find out information about the P.A.C.C. or the Whole Village Family Resource Center, visit the website at Wholevillage.net or by calling (603) 536-3720.