While the Walpole Lions have been organizing food drives for the local pantry for many years, this year, as with just about everything else, has taken on a new look. In lieu of collecting food outside supermarkets, the club has sent funding to the pantry to cover some of their additional costs in the current crisis.
The pantry has seen a remarkable surge in food requests and has taken on added costs for packaging and transportation, putting their budget in straits. Answering the need, Lions presented a check for $1,500 to help cover some of that. In addition, numerous Lions have pledged individual donations to get them through this difficult time.
Another twist to Lions’ giving was a donation of numerous cases of meatballs. The brainchild of Lion Marlene Bristol-Girvan, the gift was originally earmarked for the annual spaghetti dinner, which the Lions sponsor at the senior center. With the unfortunate cancelling of that April event, the food sat in Marlene’s freezer, and she made the call to donate it. And while the pantry itself was unable to distribute it locally, it found a need within the Greater Boston Food Pantry, and people were fed.
