AUTHOR: Brenda Ruby
EMAIL: brendaruby@gmail.com
PHONE: 814-359-6174
AGENCY: Altrusa International of Centre County
Folks all over the country are ramping up to celebrate Labor Day which honors and recognizes the American labor movement, as well as the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States. However, today some working families as well as others that have fallen on hard times suffer from food insecurity. In fact, according to Feeding America (www.feedingamerica.org) in 2020 there were 13,660 people in Centre County, 8.4% of the population, who couldn’t rely on regular, healthy meals. Many households that experience food insecurity do not qualify for federal nutrition programs and visit their local food banks and other food programs for extra support.
Altrusa International of Centre County invites you to join us in the fight against hunger. We will have tables with volunteers laboring away at the State College Rolling Ridge Weis Markets and the Bellefonte Buckaroo Drive Weis Markets on Saturday September 3, 2022, from 9am to 1pm, to collect food and household items for outlying food banks that could use a little help. Look for the ladies in the teal shirts – Altrusans like us have been helping our communities since 1917 (since 1951 here in Centre County). Last year we collected 3 carloads of goods, and we want to collect more this year. So while you’re out grocery shopping for the Labor Day weekend, remember to pick up some extra items for our Altrusa Food Drive.
Your donations will help the much-needed communities of Philipsburg and MountainTop/Snow Shoe food banks. They are looking for items such as cereal, soup, ramen noodles, egg noodles, instant potatoes, scalloped or au gratin potatoes, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, crackers, any kind of condiments, paper products, cleaning products, personal hygiene items, and more. We will have a list of items needed at our tables for your convenience. And don’t forget our furry friends! We will collect cat and dog food, kitty litter, leashes, dishes, toys, and other items for distribution.
Altrusa will also have order sheets for Showers of Flowers, a bulb sale that supports Altrusa and its service projects, for local delivery. Alliums and peonies, tulips and daffodils, bluebells and windflowers, and even summer snowflakes -- you can drop off some flour and order some flowers at the same time! Bulbs will be delivered in mid-October, in time for planting.
Not to belabor the point, but nobody should have to go without a decent meal, on Labor Day or any day. With so many people in need, we need a new acronym for LABOR DAY: Let’s All Be Open-handed Regarding Donations All Year!