Memorial Day was always a high moment for the Cambridge Food Pantry. Still, Sarah Harrington, the Pantry’s new director and my boss, has used her design skills and wonderful imagination to juice it up quite a bit and make it one of the funniest, most noticed, and most applauded entries in the Pantry Parade, a highlight in my town of Cambridge. She got the regulars clothed up in vegetable outfits, and the ride in a donated tractor and truck.

The town already loves the food Pantry, but you couldn’t miss this particular truck in the town parade. It’s a delight in imagination and statement. In cintuous rain and cold, they didn’t even skip a beat.

Sarah has done a brilliant job in bringing the Pantry into the Internet age and undertaking wonderful renovations inside and out of the Pantry building. It’s a safe place for people to go, but a bright, clean, caring, and very modern institution inside. I’m proud to be associated with it.

I was assigned to take photos of the volunteers when they were ready to go. I promised to sit in the parade wagon with my own vegetable outfit. The Pantry volunteers have become powerfully connected; their laughter was everywhere, and their applause from the people in the town was even louder.

Here are some of the volunteers dressed up as vegetables – Sarah’s idea. The truck had the most wonderful feel to eat. I didn’t have time to collect all the names and get them right, but their faces and vegetable costumes will tell the story. Wonderful people doing wonderful good. I have most of the names right, but not all.

The Pantry is a serious place doing serious work, but the volunteers and Sarah never lose their sense of humanity, and use images to make points.

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Kyle is one of my Pantry heroes.

Tony, a Pantry truck driver, marched as a hot dog.

Barb is one of my favorite volunteers. I call her the Munchkin of the volunteers. She is 90 years old and takes charge of the Cereal, organizing and stacking it. She inspired Maria and me to ride in the wagon next year.

Sisters Loise and Karen  — Fruit

Caz and Barb

Donny is a pizza.

Sarah has something new. She rented a little jeep to ride in the parade. She rides as herself.

Sarah and I. Our first photo together.

Getting ready. Kyle.

Barbara is already going to wave for the Pantry. She’s 90 years old and hauls boxes around several days a week.

Sarah is leading the parade.