Thank you to everyone who helped out with the 2009 Food Drive and who brought food. We collected enough food that when we were done lugging it into the Sanctuary, I was tired. Check out the slide show below to see for yourself.

Food Drive 2009

Bring a bag (or box) of non-perishable food to Community Presbyterian Church on Saturday, June 13 between 10-3.

This is the fifth year CPC has held its annual food drive. What started as a way to help the Long Island Council of Churches fill the shelves before donations dropped off in the summer has become a campaign to help increasing numbers of our neighbors who are hungry.

This from a recent Long Island Council of Churches newsletter:

It should come as no surprise that the number of clients we are feeding this year has increased over 50% from the same time last year. We’re feeding 54% more households, including 39% more children, 60% more adults, and an astounding 94% more seniors than we did a year ago. We greatly appreciate the growing awareness among our supporters that more and more of our neighbors are hungry.

The most dramatic increase is the number of seniors who now need our help, followed by the increasing number of single moms with infants who can’t afford to buy baby food, infant formula and diapers. These changing demographics highlight the expanding number of our most vulnerable citizens who have fallen into poverty and need our assistance to make ends meet. What we find especially heartbreaking is that a significant number of seniors now come to us for help had been donors for many years. Many live on fixed income, and there is no way they can keep up with the rising prices of basic needs like food, housing, and medical prescriptions. Medicare insurance has more than doubled in the past six years while their income has barely risen at all, with annual social security cost-of-living increases averaging 2%-4% at most.

All food collected during the food drive will be donated to the Long Island Council of Churches Food Pantry in Freeport. So raid your pantry or go shopping and join Community Presbyterian in stocking the food pantry before summer comes.