Christmas came five months early Monday, but instead of presents under a tree, the gifts were canned vegetables, cereal, peanut butter and other pantry staples destined for families who need them most.
Outside Buehler’s on Fulton Drive NW, Jackson Township police officers and firefighters greeted shoppers with smiles and shopping lists, inviting them to take part in the community’s second “Christmas in July” food drive benefiting the Jackson Food Pantry.
For Officer Anthony Richardson of the Jackson Township Police Department, the event is about far more than filling grocery bags.
“It’s about making sure families know their community is here for them,” Richardson said.
The food drive was created to address a challenge many food pantries face every summer. While donations often peak during the holiday season, the need for food assistance never takes a vacation.
Recognizing that reality, Richardson helped launch the initiative last year. The community responded in a big way.
The inaugural holiday drive collected more than 100 bags of food and about $100 in monetary donations — enough to completely restock the Jackson Food Pantry.
Rather than waiting until the end of the year to help again, organizers decided to add a second collection event each summer.
“Our goal is to make this a twice-a-year tradition,” Richardson said.
That support stretches much farther than many shoppers may realize.
Each week, the Jackson Food Pantry provides groceries to about 40 families — approximately 180 people. Families can receive assistance twice each month, meaning the pantry helps feed roughly 700 people every month throughout the Jackson Township community.
Its impact extends beyond the pantry shelves.
The organization also supplies food for the district’s backpack program, which sends meals home with about 250 students each week. The backpacks provide enough food to help children who receive free or reduced-price lunches have meals from Friday through Sunday when school cafeterias are closed.
For many families, those backpacks help bridge the gap until students return to school Monday morning.
That’s why organizers aren’t simply asking people to clean out their cupboards.
Before Monday’s drive, the police department worked directly with the pantry to develop a list of its most-needed items, ensuring every donation fills a specific need.
Community partnerships have also become a key ingredient in the effort’s success.
Buehler’s once again opened its doors for the event, allowing customers to purchase needed items while they shopped and donate them before leaving the store. The Jackson Township Fire Department joined police officers in collecting donations, reinforcing the message that serving the community extends well beyond emergency calls.
Richardson hopes the twice-yearly drives will create a more reliable stream of donations throughout the year instead of concentrating support during the holidays.
While many people associate giving with Thanksgiving and Christmas, he said hunger doesn’t follow a calendar.
Every can donated Monday, every box of pasta and every jar of peanut butter will soon find its way into the homes of local families and into the backpacks of children who depend on them.
For those who stopped to donate, it was a simple act during an ordinary grocery trip.
For hundreds of Jackson Township residents, however, it could mean one less meal to worry about.
