For many of us, Thanksgiving brings a time of excitement as we gather with family and friends to enjoy a great meal. However, for those who live with food insecurity, Thanksgiving can be a particularly stressful time of year. Thankfully, volunteer efforts, both nationally and locally, work to provide food to those without the means to buy their own Thanksgiving meal.
One local organization that works to provide food to families in need is the Community Cupboard of Elizabethtown. A food pantry that serves residents of Elizabethtown, Bainbridge and Rheems, the Community Cupboard is supported by the United Churches Elizabethtown Area (UCEA), in addition to donations from the public.
The organization has recently moved to the Community Place, found at 61 East Washington Street in Elizabethtown, just a five-minute drive from Elizabethtown College. This location also houses the Elizabethtown Community Housing and Outreach Services (ECHOS) and Elizabethtown Area Communities That Care.
One service offered by the Community Cupboard is shopping assistance. On Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., clients of the Cupboard receive assistance in selecting their groceries by Community Cupboard volunteers.
Volunteers not only serve as shopping assistants, they can also work to unload and sort donations, check expiration dates and organize food drives.
Senior Amy Lieberman has worked with the Cupboard before as a volunteer.
“Much of my work has been dividing donated food into bins based on the food category it falls into and then taking those bins to the stock room and putting them in the appropriate spots on the shelf by year,” Lieberman said in an email.
She initially got involved with the Community Cupboard through Into the Streets during her first year at Etown, during which she volunteered for the Cupboard with Circle K.
Lieberman has remained involved with the Cupboard since then, volunteering multiple times.
“[I]n fact, I’ll be going there this upcoming Saturday to help unload food,” she said.
Other Etown students and alumni have also served as active volunteers with the Cupboard. Etown has continued to send groups to work there during Into the Streets; students helped sort and move items to a new store location.
Also following our tradition of “Educate for Service,” the Etown class of ’78 held a food drive at its recent 40-year class reunion, making both food and monetary donations to the Cupboard.
Campus Security will also send all donated non-perishable food items and paper towels they receive as a part of their Food for Fines and Towels for Tickets program to the Cupboard.
In addition to working with the Community Cupboard, Etown has also worked with other local food banks.
“The College has a long tradition of service and partnership with the…Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and many other local and regional organizations that work to address hunger[…including] Water Street Mission in Lancaster, Bethesda Mission in Harrisburg, Power Packs Project and the Factory Ministries in Paradise, PA,” Director of Purposeful Life Pathways and Civic Participation Joel Janisewski said.
Janisewski encourages any student interested in service, whether that be through a service trip, a club or group project or community service work-study, to visit the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) in BSC 258 for more information.
Etown students have also been successful in their own fundraising efforts. Student Senate and multiple clubs on campus raise money to provide local families with Thanksgiving meals.
“At this point, we’re happy to report that Senate and clubs have raised over $1,350 that will provide at least 27 Thanksgiving meals to local families,” Janisewski said.
