Volunteers to restock food pantry

More than 100 volunteers from nine Batavia churches and the Batavia Lions Club will join Jewel and Berkeley's food stores to help restock the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry on Friday, Sept. 14 to Sunday, Sept. 16.

Thirty-one years ago a group of concerned citizens met to try to find a solution to help needy, local residents. From this grass roots beginning, Food Sharing Days were developed to assist and benefit the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry.

Volunteers in red aprons will pass out lists of suggested items that the food pantry needs to shoppers entering the stores and will collect the food items the shoppers donate to the food pantry. Containers for money donations also will be available for those not grocery shopping. All donations will be taken to the food pantry where another group of volunteers will sort and shelve the items for distribution to qualified, needy Batavia and Batavia Township residents. The food pantry serves 1,300 to 1,500 people each month.

Food donations also may be dropped off at the food pantry, which is at 100 Flinn Drive, (630) 879-3784, two blocks south of Wilson Street in Batavia. Food pantry hours are 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday; 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday; and 10 a.m. to noon Friday. The food pantry also is open from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month.