News release
What weighs 2,000 pounds? According to the Internet, a giraffe can weigh 2,000 pounds. So can a 1999 Ford Fiesta, a grand piano, two horses or one half of a rhinoceros.
It’s also the weight of food a family needs each year: One family of four needs approximately 2,000 pounds, or one whole ton of food each year. For many families, it’s just not possible to buy that much food.
With this in mind, Santa Clarita United Methodist Church is in the process of collecting at least a ton of nonperishable food to donate to the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry.
The nonprofit SCV Food Pantry has been in operation for about 40 years. The organization serves anyone who is having trouble making ends meet, whether someone is unemployed or under-employed, those who are homeless, college students and youth, disabled and injured people, elderly, etc.
According to Executive Director Joanne Ainsworth of the food pantry, at least 3,000 families make two shopping trips to the pantry each month, which adds up to 6,000 visits, or 72,000 shopping visits per year. Add to that, many people who just drop in, and Ainsworth said the number is even higher.
“We give away a lot of food. We don’t turn anyone away,” she said in a news release from the church.
The Santa Clarita United Methodist Church, at 26640 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, plans to partner with the SCV Food Pantry and asks for the community’s help to collect at least a ton of nonperishable food items.
The church’s release said donors can look for the signs and arrows in the church parking lot, pointing to a big blue collection barrel, every day, including weekends, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Added the release: “Please help fill the barrel, so hungry people can fill their bellies.”
