Open Door Kitchen
Masconomo Council 1232 Knights of Columbus Manchester-by-the-Sea issued a friendly reminder that the food drive it began in 2018 to benefit The Open Door Food Pantry of Gloucester and Ipswich continues and has intensified. The need for nutritious food is always present, but the need on Cape Ann is greater now than ever before.
Fred Johnson, the Council’s liaison to the Open Door Food Pantry observed, “Food insecurity is as present in the spring and summer as in the winter. Record high inflation and escalating gas prices are straining food budgets and pointing families to The Open Door.”
All are encouraged to leave food donations in the designated bins in the garage on Friend Street behind Sacred Heart Church, School Street Manchester-by-the-Sea.
Food items most needed by The Open Door are: Peanut Butter; Canned Tuna, Chicken, Turkey; Healthy Snack Items; Breakfast Cereal; 100% Juice / Juice Boxes; Hearty Soups; Canned Vegetables and Fruits; Spaghetti Sauce; Macaroni & Cheese; Rice; Noodles and Pasta; and Cake, Muffin, and Pancake Mix. [Note: Please no glass items-jars, bottles, etc.]
Knights of Council 1232 transport the donated food to The Open Door Food Pantry weekly. They thank all donors for their generous contributions. This food drive is open-ended and on-going. It is a 24 / 7 effort.
Grand Knight Phil Monahan said, “This a tangible way to extend a hand of friendship to our neighbors feeling the economic pinch. We are glad to help.”
Since 2018 the Knights have collected 7,069 pounds of food for The Open Door; 4,167 pounds, or nearly 59 per cent of that total has been donated in the year since February 2021, when the food drive was opened to the community at large.
