GRAND FORKS — As Thanksgiving draws closer, the Altru Family YMCA is preparing to host its annual food drive.
Patti McEnroe, the YMCA’s membership and marketing director, said the event brings a lot of joy to the organization each year.
“We love all these events so much,” she said. “The Y is for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. This falls under our social responsibility value. … We are always looking for ways to reach out and help our community members.”
The food drive will begin next week, on Monday, Nov. 6, in support of St. Joseph’s Social Care Food Pantry, and ends at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 15. The pantry provides not only food (available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays), but also emergency assistance and housing support. It also runs a thrift store on Eighth Avenue South, where McEnroe and her husband take their items.
“My husband and I take all our thrift stuff over to St. Joseph’s,” she said. “I know it’s put to good use over there.”
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Those interested in dropping off items for the food drive can bring them to the YMCA at 215 N. Seventh St. Non-perishable food items and monetary donations will be accepted in the lobby, where a grocery cart is available to deposit them. Some examples of possible donations are rice, spaghetti, healthy soups, beans and canned vegetables. McEnroe said the drive has a preference for healthy foods and snacks, such as whole wheat crackers, like Triscuits.
The drive is situated in early November to help families sustain themselves through the holidays.
“We try to do it right before Thanksgiving because we feel that demand is high before Thanksgiving and the holidays,” McEnroe said.
Previous food drives have resulted in “really good contributions,” which the YMCA drops off at St. Joseph’s along with monetary donations. The St. Joseph’s website mentions its preference for cash donations, as the pantry can purchase goods at wholesale prices. It also means the pantry can buy exactly what it needs when it needs it, instead of receiving too much or too little of certain items.
To learn more about St. Joseph’s Social Care Food Pantry, visit
https://stjosephssocialcaregf.org/index.php
.
Otto is a recent University of North Dakota graduate and reporter at the Herald.