Family Pantry Asking for Turkey Donations

HARWICH – The Family Pantry of Cape Cod is once again doing their part to help families in need ahead of the holiday season.

Each year, the organization distributes 500 Thanksgiving meals to locals who are struggling financially. The Family Pantry is asking for medium-sized turkey donations from the public to make this year’s food drive possible.

“Roughly 10 percent of everyone on the Cape is food insecure, meaning they don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” said Christine Menard, the Executive Director of the Family Pantry of Cape Cod. “The holidays can be really difficult if you’re struggling to make ends meet.”

“We’re asking the community, as we always do, to possibly donate a turkey for the holiday season. You can maybe buy a turkey for your own family and buy a turkey for the family pantry of Cape Cod,” Menard said.

The Pantry usually receives the bulk of their turkeys for the drive from the Greater Boston Food Bank, but there is never any guarantee as to how many turkeys the organization will receive. As a result, donations from the public are crucial to the effort.

In addition to the turkeys, organizers are also asking for frozen pie donations.

The dinners are put together by volunteers and are distributed on November 19.

Donations can be dropped off at the pantry’s location on Queen Anne Road in Harwich on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and from 10-noon on Saturdays. Donations will also be accepted on Thursday nights from 5-7.
For those in need, registration to receive a dinner is now open and closes November 16. The meals are reserved for pantry clients.

In 2016, the pantry helped 9,200 families on Cape Cod. The organization saw a 22 percent increase in clients this summer alone.