On a chilly Saturday morning, about a dozen people helped fill bags and load them into waiting vehicles at the Edgerton Food Pantry at 4th and Hulett. The volunteers know that for the people in those cars, those bags may mean the difference between paying a bill or eating that week.
“We’re giving a hand up,” says Cheri Magee, a volunteer. “Months can get really long and this helps. We know that this isn’t enough food to get them through the month. We just want to fill a gap.”
The bags contain all sorts of items. Each month families receive two bags of staple items – like canned veggies, hot dogs, and paper goods – plus a third bag that contains a special meal. In November, it was a frozen turkey and all the fixings for the rest of a Thanksgiving dinner. In December, they’ll take home a ham and sides for a traditional Christmas meal.
Magee says she feels volunteering at the food pantry is a calling. “I like helping those people that need help. I know what that need is like, I’ve been there,” she says.
The Edgerton Food Pantry receives support from a variety of sources, including the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund, Edgerton Elementary, and local businesses. The kids at Edgerton Elementary recently donated thousands of items through a food drive, as seen in the picture above. Magee called the community generosity “overwhelming.”
Donations
If you’d like to make a donation to the food pantry, they always need items like peanut butter and jelly, bread, canned fruit, Spaghettios or ravioli, ramen, granola bars, and cereal. You can drop off donations at City Hall during normal business hours. You can also make a monetary donation by sending a check to the Edgerton Food Pantry, PO Box 95, Edgerton, KS 66021
The Edgerton Food Pantry is open on the third Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m.
