Party With a Purpose planned to help pantry

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November 29, 2012

Party With a Purpose planned to help pantry

BY ETHAN FORMAN STAFF WRITER The Salem News Thu Nov 29, 2012, 03:30 AM EST

DANVERS — The food pantry that the Danvers Community Council oversees provides food and assistance to more than 400 families in town, including those with children or senior citizens, Danvers Community Council member Paula Gates said.

“They are giving out 400 boxes of cereal a month,” Gates said of the Danvers People to People Food Pantry, which the council founded in 1994 and operates from a building at 12 Sylvan St.

The volunteer-run food pantry’s resources are being stretched not only by residents in need, but by a number of homeless families sheltered temporarily in motels, a number that is constantly in flux, Gates said.

Meanwhile, the number of those in need is up this year. The group also provides heating assistance and such things as coats for high school students who may not have them, Gates said.

This Sunday’s Party With a Purpose at the Danvers YMCA on Pickering Street from 4:30 to 7 p.m. aims to raise money for the Holiday Gift Giving Program, heating assistance and other needs.

Those planning to attend can also make an immediate difference to the shelves of the food pantry.

“The admission to the party is a monetary donation of your choice and a box of cereal,” Gates said.

Henry’s Market is donating the food for the party, Gates said, and Danvers resident John Archer will play the piano and provide the entertainment. A sponsorship for the event starts at $250.

For more information about the event, call 978-774-4682. Donations may also be made to the Danvers Community Council, P.O. Box 2076, Danvers, MA 01923.

Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-338-2673, by email at eforman@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @DanverSalemNews.