The Food Drive is only 1 day away!

That's right, the Belchertown CAN food drive is only one day away!
Are you wondering how you can help local people fight hunger? This is it, and we need your help!

First, and this might be too obvious, but donating non-perishble food is one way. This year, we have special requests for protein and canned meat items, like chicken, tuna, salmon, and nut butters.

There are lots of things needed, though, including personal care items.

Also, we can accept checks, sent to this address: Belchertown CAN!, PO Box 481, Belchertown 01007.
And, last but not least, there will by CAN cans, in about 15 local businesses, where you could drop cash or a check (made out to the same above).  Just a note, the monetary donations actually go a long way for the food pantries! Here's the list of generous local businesses helping out (Let's give them a hand!), and where you can find the CAN cans.

Kristina's Kafé
Cold Spring Wine & Spirits
Very Berry frozen yogurt
Dwight Station food mart
Grapevine Grille
Wong Garden
McCarthy's Pub
Min Fen Kitchen
La Trattoria
Road House Café
Healing Touch
Stop& Shop
Checker's Mini Mart and Deli


Wondering how else you might help?
Show up at the Town Hall (2 Jabish St., in the Selectmen's room) and ask the volunteers there where you can pitch in! We can always use workers to sort the groceries, stand outside with the CAN (cash) cans, and greet shoppers at the food marts to let them know what we're doing. Any amount of time helps, even just an hour, and you can have fun meeting new people, too!


More to come tomorrow for updates. Please keep checking back, "+1" this blog, and share, share away!

With only 9 days to go, it's an exciting time of year, as we gear up for the annual food drive in Belchertown!  On the day of the food drive (Saturday, 1/25/14), volunteers with Belchertown CAN will be outside the doors of Stop &Shop, Checkers, and Dwight Food Mart to collect any food or cash donations that will then be distributed to three local food pantries that serve area residents. We will also be at the Belchertown Town Hall, where anyone could drop off food or cash to benefit these food pantries. With funds cut to food banks, food drives such as this are severely needed. Please consider joining us in any way that you can offer help.

Which Food Pantries does this food drive serve?

• St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church, http://www.stfrancisbtown.org/
• Christ Community Church (Dwight Chapel), http://www.dwightchapel.org/
• United Church of Christ, http://www.belchertownucc.org/
• Amherst Survival Center, http://amherstsurvival.org/

Have you ever seen the film "A Place at the Table"? It is eye-opening about how people are affected by hunger. Yes, even in the United States! We are showing the film at Town Hall on Saturday, January 25, during the food drive. We have two showings: 11:00am and 1:30pm. 

Even if you can only help for an hour, the help goes a  long way! Stop in before or after your shift, get a snack and a warm drink, and watch the film with us. 


Here's what YOU can do to help out:

Step 1: Email one of our two coordinators for volunteers to get your shift. Even better, sign up with a friend, or your family, and bring the (older) kids to help out, too!

Sue Darmochwat (btfolks@aol.com) or Pat Barry (p50barry@aol.com)

Step 2: Get dressed for being outside, in case your shift is at one of the drop-off locations.

Step 3: Help greet the friendly faces of Belchertown, let them know that we are collecting for the local food pantries, and food and cash donations are greatly appreciated.

Step 4: When your shift is over, know that you have DONE something that helps so many people in your local area. You may be surprised by the number of people you actually know who get help at these pantries.

Can't volunteer that day? We can still use your help! If you are able to make a cash or food donation, you can drop either (or both!) off at the following places that are supporting this event. For cash, look for the "CAN cans"! We will post more info soon to give you the full list of locations that will have these cans ready for your cash donations. Keep checking back with us! 

If you're on Google+, please +1 this blog and share with all your friends on your favorite social media. 

Welcome to the blog for Belchertown CAN (Communiuty Aid Network)! We are an organization of volunteers inspired to give back to the local community. This post is in a introduction to our organization, but there is more to come! Please share with everyone you know, especially those who live in the local area and who might like to help out. Help of every kind is always welcome, and we will post here about our activities that will also be your chance to help!


Here is a little bit about us and how we got started:


We started in 2009, responding to the national call for citizens to engage in community service, Belchertown CAN! (Community Aid Network) has conducted a yearly food drive to benefit the three food pantries in Belchertown and the Amherst Survival Center. The event has produced “mountains of food” and thousands in cash donations. We also manage an ongoing collection through Stop & Shop that currently is yielding about 1,000 pounds of food a month.


Why help out in this way?


Allotments to food pantries from the Commonwealth through the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts have dropped dramatically. Furthermore, after the big surge of giving during the holidays, food donations are down at this time of year. But waiting lists at the food pantries are growing. As a result, the pantries must seek other resources to fill their bare cupboards. A lot of people in town are hungry and need our help. This is where Belchertown CAN! comes in.


Check us out on Facebook,

https://www.facebook.com/BELCHERTOWNCAN


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