STRUGGLING COLLEGEVILLE FOOD PANTRY NEEDS HELP
COLLEGEVILLE » The Daily Bread Community Food Pantry — the fourth-largest food pantry in Montgomery County — is in crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the quarantine continues, businesses are closing permanently, and an unprecedented number of people are losing their jobs. Consequently, more and more Montco citizens need food assistance from Daily Bread.
The pantry serves more than 300 families or 1,200 individuals each month and serves a broad area in Montgomery County — from the northern reaches of Perkiomenville and Gilbertsville to the southern areas of Collegeville and Eagleville.
“We have a lot of new people who never dreamed they would need a food pantry,” said Daily Bread Food Pantry Co-Founder, Loretta Stever. “They are brought to tears when they first see the food — they didn’t know what they were going to do.”
“Due to the pandemic, we are seeing between 25-30 new clients each week. They have been laid off or furloughed,” continued Stever. “We’ve never experienced anything like it.”
The Collegeville Rotary consistently supports Daily Bread with service projects such as the annual Pancake Breakfast, Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk, and numerous other events throughout the year to raise money and awareness for the organization.
With more stringent social distancing recommendations being made and enforced by the CDC and all levels of government, the Daily Bread Food Pantry may no longer be convenient for generous community members to drop off food and other items of necessity.
Collegeville Rotarians Sodiah Thomas and Joe Groarke are volunteering their time and resources to make giving to the food pantry much easier.
Sodiah Thomas, owner of S&B Event Concepts & Catering, located at 25 Bridge St. in Colleg
“Due to the pandemic, we are seeing between 25-30 new clients each week. They have been laid off or furloughed. We’ve never experienced anything like it.” — Loretta Stever, food pantry cofounder
eville, has turned her facility into a designated dropoff location for Daily Bread every Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To make a contribution, call the S&B business office at 267-263-2616 in advance to inform them of any deliveries.
Donations are quickly retrieved from the dropoff point, so animals do not get to them first.
Additionally, fellow Collegeville Rotarian, Joe Groarke is on-call to pick up supplies from the porches of people’s homes.
“With everything that’s going on with COVID-19, I couldn’t sit on the sidelines,” said Groarke, a Realtor with Keller Williams in Limmerick.
“I know too many people who have lost their jobs because of this and became food insecure. I just help where I can,” he said.
Call or text Groarke, at 215-313-9392 with your information. He will schedule time and pick-up all donations.
Daily Bread Food Pantry, located at 3938B Ridge Pike, Collegeville, needs the following items most of all:
• Any canned meat
• Cereal, juice, tomato products, spaghetti sauce, and jelly
• Baby wipes/ bars of soap /shampoo
• Laundry/dish soap and tissues
• Any cleaning products
• Side dishes like Rice A Roni, Hamburger Helper, etc.
The food bank’s mission dovetails with that of the Collegeville Rotary.
Rotary members throughout the world take action to make communities better. They contribute their time, energy, and passion to carry out meaningful and sustainable projects that promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, help mothers and children, support education, and grow local economies.
Right now, the Collegeville Rotary’s top priority is to alleviate the suffering of those severely impacted during the COVID-19 quarantine.