If you’ve been downstairs, you might have noticed that our pantry area has had a bit of a glow-up recently, with the addition of some perfectly sized plastic bins provided by Aaron Slayton. These have really helped us neaten up the shelves where we keep hygiene and cleaning supplies.

Our food pantry stores are on the low side again. Unfortunately, with prices going up, need also goes up. There’s no way we’ll be able to keep up with it–we’re only a Little Free Pantry, after all, but we always want to do what we can!

According to our pantry stats, we distribute a little over $200 worth of food each week. (Thanks to Betsy Kruger for compiling these statistics.) In fact, we’re probably spending more than that, as the values for items are averages of the usual prices. So any donations are welcome and appreciated!

Some ideas for what you can buy and where:

Aldi has good prices and is a great source for soups, canned veggies and fruit, snack bars, fruit cups, individual drink mixes (including hydrating drinks), boxed mac and cheese, ramen packs, and tuna (the packaged kind is great!), among other things. Sadly, their prices have risen recently, so our dollars don’t go quite as far as they did, and their selection of Aldi-brand soups has been spotty of late.

Walmart has soups for $1 or less, including beef & barley, tomato soup, and other selections. For a little over a dollar, you can also get heartier soups there. Most of these soups have pop-top lids. They carry a variety of single-serving cereals for $1 each, including granolas and popular brands like Frosted Mini Wheats and Raisin Bran. Also look for shelf-stable milk here, although the price is better at Costco.

Speaking of Costco… If you have a Costco membership, you can get a great price on shelf-stable milk, as well as boxes of soups, veggies, fruit, etc. You can find canned tuna here that has a pop-top lid, which is great. They also have squeeze packs of pureed fruit/veggie mixes and yogurt (not together, that would be weird…).

As always, I’d like to stress that you can donate whatever feels right to you. (If you’re bringing things in from your pantry, please check the expiration dates.) If you’re out shopping and pick up some extra bits and sundry for the pantry, you can drop them off in the bin just inside the south entrance (parking lot side), and one of our volunteers will help distribute it downstairs. As always, we appreciate everything you do to help support our pantry!

HERE is a printable list of items that are always needed. There are also some copies on the welcome table in Fellowship Hall as well!