LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — Bins are being set up in several grocery stores and businesses in Lackawanna County throughout March. This time of year, donations slow down, so members of the Junior League of Scranton organized a food drive, collecting donations for local food pantries.
"We know that our reach can be greater when we partner with our community, so we're so grateful that we have almost 40 businesses from Archbald to Moosic, Dunmore, all the way up to Clarks Summit," said Amy Betts, president of the Junior League of Scranton.
The food pantry at United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA in Scranton is one of the pantries on the receiving end of those donations.
"It's so nice to know of other organizations that put together these donations and events and things for us. It really helps out our families that we serve in the community," said Dana Force, assistant director of United Neighborhood Centers.
United Neighborhood Centers serves about 1,200 families a month. It has gotten harder to fill those needs.
"We've seen a huge growth in need in the area since the end of COVID. Food stamps went down, things like that, and that need has continued to steadily grow," Force said.
The hope is to collect healthier and gluten-free options but also fill requests for a more diverse community.
"We want to make sure that if we're collecting food, that we're giving dignity to those people by being able to provide them with foods that they would want to eat, that relates to them, feels comfortable to them, and relates to their culture," said Geraldine Mulcahy, Junior League of Scranton.