|
"You cannot do a kindness too soon,
for you never know how soon it will be too late."
~
Ralph Waldo Emerson
~
The
Murray Church Food
Pantry is an all-volunteer
run outreach program
of Murray Unitarian
Universalist Church.
This service is
provided by the
generosity of Murray
Church members &
friends in the
greater Attleboro
community. We are open
for grogery bag
distribution two
days a week on Mondays
& Thursdays
from 10:00 AM to
12:00 noon.
This program is open to all who qualify for any government assistance
program such as fuel assistance, food stamps, WIC, etc. We allow 1 bag
of groceries a week per household. There are no residency restrictions.
We only provide non-perishables. We require a
person's address, household information as to how many reside there,
their ethnicity and their signature. Recipients must verify in writing that they
are currently receiving
one of the benefits
mentioned above. We must obtain this information because it is
a requirement to participate in the USDA and MEFAP (Mass Emergency Food
Assistance Program).
The
Alarming Problem
of Hunger in
Massachusetts
Project
Bread’s
2008
Status
Report
on
Hunger
in
Massachusetts
states
that over
552,000
people in
Massachusetts experience
"food
insecurity,"
a
measurement
that
captures
the
degree
to
which
an
individual
or
family
cannot
obtain
adequate
nutritious
food
for
a
healthy
life.
“High
food
prices
combined
with
the
current
economic
crisis
are
driving
a
crisis
in
food
insecurity
that
is
broader
and
deeper
than
we’ve
seen
before
in
this
state,”
says
Ellen
Parker,
the
executive
director
of
Project
Bread.
“There
is
every
indication
that
hundreds
of
thousands
of
Massachusetts
citizens
will
need
help
to
cover
the
basics
—
including
many
who
have
never
needed
help
before.”
Hunger
is
a
serious
public
health
issue.
There
is
considerable
evidence
that
inadequate
nutrition
results
in
both
health
and
learning
problems.
Particularly
disturbing
is
the
disproportionate
impact
of
hunger
on
children
and
the
elderly.
How You
Can Help
 As
many
of
you
know
there
is
much
need
in
the
area
for
food,
some
children
in
Attleboro
and
surrounding
communities
go
to
bed
hungry
most
nights.
Murray
Unitarian
Universalist
Church
can
help.
We
are
a
part
of
the
food
distribution
system
for
the
larger
food
bank
and
we
have
volunteers
that
pick
up
and
bag
food
for
people
to
pick
up
at
our
church.
Sue
Kline
and
Janet
Richardi
coordinate
the
Murray
Food Pantry.
Sue
works
to
ensure
that
bags
of
food
are
readily
available
for
people
to
come
and
pick
up.
That
entails
ordering,
coordinating
the
delivery
of,
and
bagging
the
food.
Janet
coordinates
volunteers
to
staff
the
food panty.
Donations
If
you
are
able,
please
consider
donating
food,
paper
goods
or
toiletries
to
the
Food Pantry.
On March 15th, we ask you to please bring in the following urgently needed items:
hearty soup, canned tuna fish, mac-n-cheese, pasta,
pasta sauce (in a plastic jar), juice (in a plastic jug) or Parmalat milk. Staples
such
as
cereal,
orange
juice
boxes,
rice,
beans,
canned
soups
and
vegetables,
toilet
paper
and
toiletries
are
always
gladly
accepted.
Donations
can
be
left
either
in
the
silver
box
located
next
to
the
Historical
Room
door
or in the basket
in the front foyer
of the church.
Volunteers
Needed
Many
people
in
our
local
community
depend
on
the
food we
provide
through
the
Food Pantry
at
Murray
Church.
Often
we
have
bags
of food
available,
but
we
do
not
have
enough
volunteers
to
hand
them
out.
If
you
are
able
to
commit
two
hours
of
time
to
hand
out
bags
at
the
church
once
or
twice
a
month,
we
can
continue
to
help
those
in
need
of food
from
our
community.
If
interested
in volunteering,
please
contact
Janet Richardi
or the Church Office
(508-222-0505).
Thank
you for your continued
support!
Sue
Kline & Janet
Richardi, coordinators
|
