On Wednesday, November 23rd, Saraswati shakha concluded the Annadan seva project (of collecting and donating food) by paying a visit to the Worcester county food bank in Shrewsbury. Having had a pleasant experience with the food bank last year, the bala and shishu went out and collected food with the thought of Diwali in mind; a time of joy, good company, good food, and sharing. With the Sewa project organized by Shri RamKrishnaji, we managed to raise and donate 317 lbs of food (including sugar, flour, cereal, oil, pasta, canned fruits and vegetables, pasta sauce, etc). The attendance was of roughly 35 people (aging from two and a half years to adults). It was especially well-attended because, it being a half day of school, all the children were free in the afternoon and eagerly willing to spend some time at the food bank.
For about 45 minutes, we were given a tour of the facility to which we were donating food by the executive director of the food bank, Ms. Jean McMurry. The food bank is the collection house of the food that is given to food pantries, soup kitchens, etc. The bank receives and provides six million lbs. of food yearly. Also, the foods that are always encouraged and appreciated include pasta, pasta sauce, and cereal. The manner in which the food bank operates was also explained to us. In addition to the direct money donations that people make, the food pantries, soup kitchens, etc. pay 10 cents per pound of that they take. In this benefiting relationship, both organizations obtain what they need to continue functioning as they do. The food bank does an excellent job of providing to the over-sixty or so organizations that it does. Though in a perfect world nobody would entailed to go to a food bank, food pantry, or anything of the sort to acquire food, many people are in a better place thanks to the Worcester county food bank.
Once again, we had an excellent time visiting the Worcester county food bank. In fact, we were asked to become more involved in the food bank’s work by Ms. McMurry. It was a very enjoyable experience.