Georgetown Record
October 19, 2012
Georgetown —
More than 100 bundles of groceries were hauled into the New Life Community Church’s Abundant Pantry last Tuesday by a crew of eight generous fifth grade boys from Penn Brook School. By the time they all left, the shelves were filled with canned goods, boxes of pasta and more.
Additional bags needed to be stowed under tables due to a lack of space after the kids finished stocking the place. Students like Jordan Greenfield, Andrew Phillips, Ryan Kottcamp and Richie Williams did this all in their free time, with help from parents during the professional development day off from school. Not bad for a day's work.
Georgetown resident and mother Danielle Taraszuk heard Abundant Pantry could not distribute because of a food shortage. She obtained a list of needed items from Tricia Howell at the pantry and sent out an email at the beginning of October to friends within the community to organize a relief effort.
Seven families swiftly assembled, and an epic shopping trip to Wal-Mart in Danvers over the first weekend of October was soon under way. Abundant Pantry asks mostly for canned goods, as they only have one refrigerator.
"A few moms and children got together to help out," explained Taraszuk. "We thought that this would be a good lesson for our children to learn. Our kids are so fortunate to have whatever they need. They don't have to worry about not having enough food to eat, so I thought this would be a great eye opener for them."
Danielle's son Paul had to work within a $100 spending budget. Initially he was concerned about what snacks to get the kids. Many ate breakfast and received free lunches, but what about munchies in between?
"He learned that instead of fruit snacks, a box of pasta could feed a family of four. Also, generic brands became a better option,” said Danielle Taraszuk. “You can buy more than one for the price of one brand-name cereal, like Kellog’s."
As time went on the Taraszuks were joined by the Cochrane, Winer and Linares families.
"By the time we'd finished, we had over 20 bags packed up," said Taraszuk. "We went a little over budget, spending about $139. It took about an hour to fill the pantry up."
Howell opened the doors as she does every Tuesday morning at 9:30. She then stood in awe as the team of youngsters lugged in a seemingly endless stream of bags. They then proceeded to unpack each one, arranging items on the shelves in an orderly manner, filling the pantry at New Life Community Church.
"Tricia was so happy. She was hugging all the parents and kids," said Taraszuk. "The boys could not believe that there were actually people in our town without enough food to eat. It really opened their eyes."
People arrived within that first hour. The boys were pleased by their accomplishments and surprised by those visiting. "Paul said to me after, 'Wow, those people look just like you and me.' We told the kids to be respectful if they see them again in town."
Danielle hopes to make more donations to the Abundant Pantry as time goes on. "We wouldn't have been this successful without the help from all of the other Georgetown families and kids who participated."
Abundant Pantry is currently accepting additional donations. For more information, visit iamnewlife.com.
Read more: Georgetown fifth graders fill the Abundant Pantry - Georgetown, MA - Georgetown Record http://www.wickedlocal.com/georgetown/news/x1890063450/Georgetown-fifth-graders-fill-the-Abundant-Pantry#ixzz2A9uwyA3i
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