Why Are Food Pantries Becoming So Popular?

Do you know that 'Sherrard Cub Scout Pack' volunteers have been busy collecting food for their pantry while they celebrated 100 years of Scouting?

Today, you can find a food pantry almost everywhere in US, and the way things are going - the number of these agencies is sure to increase!

Basically, pantries refer to separate food storage or preparation rooms that are found in several urban households or workplaces, but when we use the term 'food pantry' we generally refer to non-profit agencies which indulge in distributing food to the hungry. A food pantry gets the supply of provisions and groceries from 'food banks', which get their supplies from manufacturers, distributors, or retailers engaged in the food business.

The prime objective of a food pantry lies in finding a comprehensive solution to the community's hunger problem. These agencies mostly feature a band of dedicated volunteers who work diligently and reach out to every hungry individual in a particular neighborhood for providing them with nutritious food. These pantries gather millions of pounds of eatables each year from local food industries, supermarkets, and even local farmers who are kind enough to donate their excess produce. If you believe in media reports it won't take long for you to understand that hadn't it been for these pantries, many struggling households would have starved and many senior citizens would have spent their last days without proper meals!

A food pantry also makes an effort to build partnerships with other charitable organizations in the community, just to ensure that a joint effort is made towards strengthening of families and common social welfare. Besides providing good-quality eatables at reasonable prices, the pantries help individuals and families to access information on health and nutrition, childcare and family development programs. For people who cannot get out and cook for themselves, the eatables supplied by these agencies make sure that they never spend a hungry day. Sometimes, these pantries coordinate health education modules - these greatly help in protecting the health of children and older adults. Baltimore, Essex, Rosedale, and Ferndale are some cities in Maryland (US) where you can find a good number of these agencies.

When we discuss about the benefits of having a food pantry in the neighborhood, we find that SHARE (Self Help and Resource Exchange) has been one such organization which has recorded exceptional performance in social-welfare activities. From providing affordable food to numerous US families to educating citizens about heath and nutrition, SHARE has done it all. To know more about the organization and their services, you can visit the website http://www.sharedc.org.

I hope you like this article. For more information on food pantry Washington DC, you can visit http://www.sharedc.org.