Thousands of shoppers across the region donated more than 6 tons of food during The Open Door food pantry’s Thanksgiving Food Drive on Saturday.
In all, shoppers at six grocery stores provided 12,194 pounds of hand-picked, shelf-stable goods for those in need in Greater Cape Ann. The donations come at a time when The Open Door has seen more than a 28% increase in visits to its food pantries this year when compared with 2022.
“Our community always shines when given an opportunity to help its neighbors, and that was certainly true this weekend,” said The Open Door President and CEO Julie LaFontaine in a prepared statement. “With local need increasing, feeding local people is a big job, but together, we can get it done. Every little bit makes a difference for a family or senior struggling during the holidays.”
The collection sites were: Market Basket on Gloucester Crossing Road in Gloucester and Newburyport Turnpike in Rowley; Stop & Shop on Thatcher Road; Shaw’s on Eastern Avenue in Gloucester and High Street in Ipswich; and Crosby’s Marketplace on Summer Street.
The Open Door said additional donations will come in over the next few weeks from businesses, churches, schools and other groups who held individual food drives for the food pantry.
For the first time this year, the Second Glance thrift shop held a clothing drive in conjunction with the food drive. No appointments were necessary on Saturday at the thrift store where donations and sales raise money to support hunger-relief programs of The Open Door.
Also on Saturday, an army of volunteers and staff distributed Thanksgiving Baskets to a steady stream of those who came by The Open Door at 28 Emerson Ave. in Gloucester. Among those distributing the baskets in the rain on Saturday were Mayor Greg Verga and his wife, Kellie. Each basket included a turkey and all the fixings at no cost for local people to make their Thanksgiving meals at home.
Hundreds more holiday baskets will be distributed through Wednesday, Nov. 22, at The Open Door, by appointment. The nonprofit is prepared to provide 1,400 Holiday Baskets by the close of business Wednesday. People can also sign up for a Holiday Basket for the December holidays at FOODPANTRY.org.
Members of the community who wish to make a monetary donation to help feed local people through the holidays and beyond can do so at FOODPANTRY.org/donate.
This year, the nonprofit is also opening its kitchen to the Capt. Lester Wass American Legion Post 3 on Thanksgiving Day. The Legion will be preparing and distributing meals-to-go on Thanksgiving Day. However, the post will not be able to serve free dinners at The Open Door on Thanksgiving Day.