Pepper donations sought for Batavia food pantry fundraiser

The Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and Gindo’s Spice of Life are teaming up for a third time on a Batavia community hot sauce, and we need your peppers!

Gindo’s will be collecting peppers Sept. 9 through Oct. 1 (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday), and will use these peppers to create Fire on the Fox: Three-Peat Heat.

The proceeds from the sale of the hot sauce will benefit the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry & Clothes Closet.

In 2023, the first collaboration between Gindo’s and the Food Pantry, Fire on the Fox, sold out quickly and raised $1,280 for the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry & Clothes Closet.

Last year, they doubled the batch and have raised approximately $2,000 (with a few bottles left that will be available at the Batavia Farmers Market on Sept. 13).

To participate, gardeners should clean their peppers and drop them off in large Ziploc bags, labeled if possible. If picking peppers early, please clean and de-stem them, and store the peppers in a Ziploc bag in the freezer until the drop-off dates.

Peppers can be dropped off at Gindo’s, 2002 W. Main St., Suite P, St. Charles. Freezer-ready peppers (cleaned and destemmed) can also be dropped off at the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry tent at the Batavia Farmers Market on Saturday, Sept. 13.

The Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and Clothes Closet is a not-for-profit 501(C)(3) organization founded by local churches. Its purpose is to serve the needs of our community (Batavia and Batavia Township). Those in need of assistance can register for a card and shop the food pantry once per month and the Clothes Closet twice per month.

For information on receiving services, volunteering, or donating, visit the website at bataviafoodpantry.org.