Today’s most urgent item:

Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs, Pack of 4, $4.29.

That shelf is empty. 

The hardest items to stock are, of course, the most popular ones. Good, warm, healthy meals that are easy to store, cook, and clean up. Few have room in their kitchens or nice stoves. By the end of today’s distribution, three of these most popular ones will be gone from the shelves.

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The other items requested today, Friday, Sep 25:

Campbell’s Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Pack of 8), $17.20.

Campbell’s Chili Mac (Case of 8), $17.20.

These are anchor foods for the Pantry families.

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Above: Sarah’s annual Scarecrow for Halloween.

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Thank you, thank you; you saved what looked like a lot of empty shelves for the week. Sometimes the Pantry needs only three or four items to fill its shelves for two or three days. We did better than that, thanks.

A Feeding America report covering Eastern NY (including the Pantry’s area) puts it more starkly: 1 in 6 kids — over 98,000 children — are food insecure, and the reason that’s repeatedly cited is federal SNAP cuts, with the Regional Food Bank CEO estimating 44% of people currently facing hunger locally could lose SNAP eligibility. That’s pushing families toward pantries, just as USDA product supplies to food banks won’t be enough. More cuts were announced yesterday.

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New: According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Diesel Fuel in the Northeast is averaging about $6.50 a gallon. 

This will significantly affect traffic to food pantries throughout the area, including this one; it is already driving more and more people to food pantries. Farmers and truck traffic are both especially hard hit.

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You can explore the Cambridge Amazon Wish List anytime.

Above the empthy meat and spaghetti items, shelves are emptying.

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I’m not sure I’ve ever been to the Food Pantry without seeing someone moving heavy boxes around.