Community Shows Its Generosity During Rainy Food Drive In Newtown

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Thanks to the generosity of shoppers at McCaffrey’s Market in Newtown, the shelves at the Wrightstown Food Cupboard are again brimming with food.

Stationed outside the market on a windy and rainy Saturday, members of the Newtown Rotary Club handed out fliers asking shoppers to donate food for the area’s less fortunate.

And once again, shoppers responded in a big way filling 14 shopping carts with donations, from boxes of Cheerios to cans of soups and vegetables. Many also reached into their pockets and wallets to donate hundreds of dollars in cash to the pantry.

“One shopper came out of the store with two carts filled with groceries. He gave us one of the carts,” said Rotarian Matt McCullough.

Food drive organizer Shari Donahue said she was overwhelmed by the response, especially given the weather conditions.

“What a great response,” said Donahue. “We asked people to give and they once again responded with donations of food and money.”

Looking over a mountain of food donated by the community are, from left, food cupboard coordinator Mitch McIntire, and Rotarians Matt McCullough, Shari Donahue, Paul Salvatore and Tom Donahue. (Photo by Jeff Werner)

Donahue, the co-owner of the Zebra-Striped Whale, has been organizing the drive for the past eight years for the club. “It’s very heartwarming to see the generosity of people. It’s absolutely amazing.”

The donations collected at McCaffrey’s will be distributed to the needy through the Wrightstown Food Cupboard, which is a joint mission of Anchor Presbyterian, All Saints Episcopal, Penns Park United Methodist, St. Mark’s Orthodox Church and Wrightstown Friends Meeting.

Mitch McIntire, who has operated the food cupboard in Wrightstown for close to 30 years, was on hand to accept the donations from the Rotarians on Saturday afternoon.

“This community is out of this world,” he said as Rotarians delivered bag after bag of food to the cupboard located at the Penns Park United Methodist Church.

(Photo courtesy of Shari Donahue)

(Photo courtesy of Shari Donahue)

For nearly three decades, the food cupboard has operated out of the church at 2394 Second Street Pike offering a helping hand to needy area individuals and families.

According to McIntire, the food cupboard operates year round, distributing food baskets at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and the Fourth of July. It is always in need of pasta sauce (jars), coffee, tea, juice, peanut butter and jelly in addition to personal products, including shampoo,
toothpaste, pampers and paper towels, which aren’t covered by food stamps.

“The need is always greater toward the end of the month because that’s when the food stamps run out,” said McIntire.

The Wrightstown Food Cupboard is open year-round by appointment. There are no eligibility requirements or paperwork to fill out. To schedule an appointment, call Mitch at 215-598-7601

The Newtown Rotary Club meets every Wednesday at 12 p.m. at The Temperance House in Newtown. Its mission is “Service Above Self.”

Rotarians Paul Salvatore and Shari Donahue with food cupboard coordinator Mitch McIntire.