Members of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Youth Organization will join with youth from other area churches for the 14th annual Youth CAN Make A Difference canned food drive on Sunday, Sept. 29.
The activity gets the entire community involved as residents are asked to place canned goods and other food items on their doorstep on Sunday afternoon before 3 p.m. The youth will then make the rounds from 3-5 p.m. as they collect the donations and deliver them to the Community Food Pantry.
This year, youth from 11 Greenwood area churches have already signed up to participate. They include St. John's United Methodist Church, Westminster Presbyterian Church, North Greenwood Baptist Church, New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, First United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Episcopal Church of the Nativity, Immanuel Baptist Church, McKinney Chapel Missionary Baptist Church and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Additional church youth groups are welcome to participate. To sign up, call Immaculate Heart of Mary at 453-3980.
The youth will meet at 3 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary for a short program and a skit, performed by various youth involved in the drive.
The Community Food Pantry depends heavily on donations from the community to keep its shelves stocked with items to help those in need.
Community Food Pantry President Flo Abraham made some suggestions for items the food pantry needs.
"Just ask yourself, 'What would your family eat?'" Abraham said. "We particularly need things like soups, such as chicken noodle, beef and vegetable. We have a lot of older people, and that's about all some of them can eat. We have them asking for soup."
Spaghetti noodles and spaghetti sauce always make a good donation.
"Just those two items alone can make a meal, and the children love this," Abraham said. Also, any other type of noodle or rice is good to donate.
Other suggestions for donations include cereals, instant oatmeal, peanut butter, snacks, chips, flour, cornmeal, washing powder and plastic containers of mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup.
Tuna and crackers are also popular items.
"It's amazing to see these children come in here and the look on their faces when they see things like chips or peanut butter. They hardly ever get to have anything like that, and they get so excited," Abraham said.
Canned goods, of course, are also welcome. Perishable items are not recommended.
In lieu of a food donation, monetary donations are always welcome. This allows the food pantry to purchase items that are in short supply. Checks may be made out to the Community Food Pantry and should be brought by Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church's Parish Center, 310 Henderson St., between 3-5 p.m. on Sunday during the food drive.
Abraham also added that after the holidays, she will be in need of an extra hand around the food pantry from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"I will need a new volunteer after Christmas, and it needs to be a man," Abraham said.
