How uncommon donations can be helpful

HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - As the holidays quickly approach, food pantry workers are seeing more folks that need assistance.

Through donations, pantries are able to give people meals. However, there are some items that are left out of food boxes.

“Shelf stable milk, you know a lot of families, if you give them a box of macaroni and cheese, you gotta have milk for most of those and if they don’t have that milk, butter, something that you very rarely get,” said New Hope Food Ministries Director Bruce Estep.

He said items like recipe cards and can openers can make a difference.

“Especially like the different types of squash and zucchini and stuff like that and tell them how to fix it. A lot of them don’t realize that it’ll include another side to their dinner. And like you said, if they don’t, they’re going to take it home and throw it over the hill,” he explained.

Estep said, because they get the majority of their donations from God’s Pantry Food Bank, they collect donations from different organizations and stores in the community.

“Everything we do is primarily up to the community, what they can put into the pantry outside of what God’s Pantry does for us. Walmart donates through Feeding America and then we’ve got Save-a-Lot and United Grocery that sells the little blessing bags that come to our pantry,” he added.

For more information on God’s Pantry, click here.

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