Send Kids Back to School With Long Valley Food Pantry Donations

The summer is notoriously known for a drop in donations to the local food pantry, but two local Girl Scouts are looking to fill the shelves up as soon as Washington Township students get back in the classroom.

Freshmen Kristen Poggi and Sarah Daly are holding a Back-to-School Food Drive to benefit the pantry from Sept. 2 to 11 as part of their Girl Scout project.

Drop-off boxes will be positioned in each of the township’s four school buildings, and the duo has prepared a list of items students in each grade can bring.

• Kindergarten: condiments, salad dressings
• First grade: coffee, tea, canned juice, box milk
• Second grade: canned fruit, canned vegetables, applesauce
• Third grade: soups, stews, and rice
• Fourth grade: canned meats (chicken, tuna, spam)
• Fifth grade: pancake mix, hot/cold cereals, syrups
• Sixth grade: peanut butter, jelly, healthy snack bags
• Seventh grade: toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent
• Eighth grade: toiletries, personal hygiene items

The Long Valley Food Pantry is located inside the Long Valley Presbyterian Church on Bartley Road, and currently serves approximately 70 families from the area.