Shoppers Open Their Hearts For Others At Newtown Food Drive

NEWTOWN, 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 Saturday, members of the Newtown Rotary Club handed out fliers asking shoppers to donate food for those from the area needing a "hand up."

And once again, shoppers responded in a big way, filling shopping carts with donations, from boxes

of Cheerios to cans of soups and canned vegetables. Many also reached into their pockets and wallets, donating hundreds of dollars in cash to the pantry, which will be matched, dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000, through the Gene and Marlene Epstein Foundation.

The Rotary Club will continue to accept online donations through its PayPal account, which can be accessed through the club’s website at NewtownRotary.com.

Members of the Newtown Rotary Club with some of the food they collected from generous shoppers during Saturday's spring food drive. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

Shari Donahue, the co-owner of the Zebra-Striped Whale, who has been organizing the drive for the past 10 years, was stationed at the main entrance to the store

“This has been the best one so far. It’s very heartwarming to see the generosity of people. It’s absolutely amazing,” she said, adding that one car pulled up and the occupants wrote a check out for $1,000.

Added Rotarian Paul Salvatore, “The generosity is overwhelming. Once they heard what it was for, they were happy to help out.“

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

“This is fantastic,” said Mitch McIntire, who has run the cupboard for three decades. “The Rotary and the community always come through for us. The people in this area and the Council Rock community are fantastically generous. We’ve been doing this for 30 years and we have never taken any government assistance.”

In addition to receiving donations through the Rotary, school, and community organizations, the cupboard is supported by local businesses, including Zook’s Fresh Poultry at the Newtown Farmers Market, which donates thousands of dollars worth of food to the cupboard every year.

For three decades, the food cupboard has operated out of the Penns Park United Methodist Church at 2394 Second Street Pike in Wrightstown, offering a helping hand to individuals and families who need a hand up.

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.

“The food cupboard is amazing,” said Donahue. “They let people come in and never ask any questions and they are so abundant with their offerings. We’re so grateful to Mitch (McIntire) and his volunteers for running it.”

The Wrightstown Food Cupboard is open year-round by appointment. For food needs and to schedule an appointment, call Penns Park United Methodist at 267-437-7533