Center for Family Life's Food Pantry is "Bare"

The Food Pantries in the area have lost a lot of their usual donations due to the very bad economic times.

According to Anne Sherman, a board member for the Center for Family Life, the food shelves in their pantry (which services families in Sunset Park) are BARE. The food stuffs that they normally receive have diminished because of the growing need around the City.

She writes:

As you can imagine, this is a huge concern for us, because we know that, in addition to the families that already rely on this food, the number of families in need will only grow in the coming months. The Center's staff estimates that it would cost us $1,000/week if we were to stock the shelves by purchasing food ourselves. Contributions are most welcome and greatly appreciated! Many thanks for your generosity and care.

If you would like to write a check and designate it for the food pantry, please make the check out to "Center for Family Life" and write "food pantry" in the memo line. Or, if it's better for you, donations can also be made on our website with a credit card - click on "support CFL" on the left of the home page (www.cflsp.org). Please indicate that it is a donation for food in the comments section of the online form. If you are mailing a check or delivering food, the address is: Center for Family Life, 343 43rd Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11232. Call 718 788 3500 with any questions.

One of the co-directors, Julia Jean-Francois, explains: We have never had so few donations from our usual sources...The result is that folks in the community who have lost jobs and are not able to find work or who just can't make ends meet are coming more and more to get very basic pantry donations of rice, dry beans and really anything...

So head on over to the Center for Family Life's Food Pantry at 5505 4th Avenue with your donation of non-perishables or money. Monetary donations are often preferred because the Center can purchase items in bulk. However, nothing is too small or insignificant. As was mentioned, rice and dry beans are basics that everyone can use. Also, that box of elbow pasta that you never seem to use or that can of peas and carrots you just don't heat up or that two-pack of tuna you never opened would all make lovely donations. All three would be even better!