Food Pantry delivers a caring community effort

Moving like clockwork, Milton Community Food Pantry volunteers were joined by nine Milton High School students to quickly bag up all the essentials for a Thanksgiving feast for 160 families.

Food Pantry Director Pat Brawley said the students who answered their call for help on Nov. 18 were part of an amazing response from the Milton Public Schools to again help in the efforts to make sure that those in need could enjoy a holiday meal and more.

Brawley said the schools gave students a chance to take part in the effort by asking each class to contribute a specific holiday dinner item, like stuffing mix or cranberry sauce.

Milton schools’ parent teacher organizations, teachers, and staff were key to making it all happen, she said.

Brawley said that Tucker Elementary School, located across Blue Hills Parkway from the pantry that is housed at Parkway United Methodist Church, “went the extra mile.” 

The students made pumpkin pie kits packed in bags that they decorated with holiday drawings and messages.

The Glover Elementary fifth grade did a drive to collect name-brand breakfast cereals, an item that food pantry patrons are always happy to get, Brawley said.

Among those working in the assembly-line fashion was Milton High senior Marissa Golden.

Golden, vice president of the high school’s Key Club, said it was nice for club members to take part in service to others outside of the school setting.

“The whole goal of our club is to give back to the community,” she said. “There are so many people who don’t have as much as they need. Everyone deserves to have enough food, water, and shelter.”

Brawley said that each family who comes for the Saturday food pickup for Thanksgiving receives three bags of food, a bag of frozen meats, and a gift card for Star Market so they can purchase their own turkey.

More information about the food pantry can be found at https://www.umcparkway.org/food-pantry.