SCRANTON, Pa. — Jessica Wallo says the food pantry at United Neighborhood Centers in Scranton looks different this year.
“All of this was completely filled with barrels of food,” she said.
And now, the shelves can barely stay stocked.
“We are putting it right upstairs, and we're giving it out,” Jessica Wallo, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA Director of Community Services, added.
The empty shelves here at the United Neighborhood Centers have become a regular thing. In fact, they doubled the number of clients that depend on their services just to have groceries to take home.
“Our lines are crazy here, we get a ton of people here, and we struggle to meet the need with our food,” Roger Young, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA SOR Case Manager, said.
Agreeing that WNEP’s Feed a Friend campaign is more crucial than ever.
An initiative to help pantries across northeastern and central Pennsylvania increase their food supply to keep up with the demand during the holiday season.
“There is a 30% increase of families coming in. Most of those are new families coming in, and this is affecting all walks of life,” mentioned Nathan Morgan, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA Continuum of Care Program Director.
Here at United Neighborhood Centers, they saw the number of clients start to increase when certain SNAP benefits came to an end this year.
“People got used to having those, and with the added cost of everything, everybody knows how the price of everything is going up at the grocery store,” said Chrissy Manuel, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA Director of Development and Communications.
Saying a bag of food or monetary donation added to the bin can make the stresses of food insecurity for a family disappear for a day.
“The smiles on the clients' faces are priceless. And it warms their hearts that we can provide that service for them,” explained Sunita Samad, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA Program Coordinator.
No matter what county you donate to, It all contributes to the same goal of WNEP’s Feed a Friend.
“We're about improving the quality of life of the members in our communities, and this really gives them the sense that we're in their corner,” Jeffrey Ginsberg, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA Permanent Supportive Housing Case Manager, said.
To learn how you can help your neighbors, one grocery bag at a time, you can find the list of participating agencies for this year's Feed a Friend HERE.