Highland Mills Food Pantry serves the community
Highland Mills. The Highland Mills Food Pantry has been a total community effort. Volunteers make it happen every week all year round and scout troops regularly conduct food drives to keep the shelves full.
| 16 Nov 2020 | 02:05
The shelves are stocked are the Highland Mills Food Pantry with just some of the goods that will be given out to those in need during this year's holidays. The Pantry operates year-round and serves dozens of families each week. (
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The Highland Mills Food Pantry has been filling a need for many people for more than 30 years. Doing that depends of the kindness and generosity of many to provide the food and volunteers, both individuals and organizations. The Food Pantry has been blessed with many who make it happen every week year-round.
The Food Pantry is totally community based, neither requesting nor receiving any government assistance. Instead, it is groups like the Woodbury Lions Club which recently donated funds to provide shelves to keep the food and two outbuildings to store it until it can be distributed.
Woodbury Boy Scout Troop #4 and Cub Scout Pack #148 regularly conduct food drives which provide huge amounts of food to feed those in need. Support for the Food Pantry comes in several forms including financial. Each year, the Woodbury Community Association makes a generous donation to the Pantry. That, along with many individuals, provides money to buy additional and special food items which are needed in addition to those donated.
Another provider to the Food Pantry are local stores such as Shop Rite in Monroe which donates a large assortment of baked goods every Friday. In the past, BJs has also contributed to the Food Pantry.
Another example is Jay’s Deli in Highland Mills which frequently and generously supports the Pantry. Recently, when Jay’s had to unexpectedly and temporarily close, owner Colleen Pearce gave the Pantry lots of baked goods, dairy and other foods which could not be used during the shutdown. Jay’s is open again and continues to be generous to the Pantry and the community.
Food for those in need comes from many sources. Knowing how important good nutrition is, each Friday one local resident buys and delivers to the Pantry an abundance of fruits and vegetables to be given out to people who come to the Pantry in need.
