Posted on May 14, 2016
Rotary Club of New Berlin, New Berlin Rotary, New Berlin Food Pantry Lending a helping hand for the needy
 
Despite a brisk, autumn-like breeze and even a few snowflakes, dozens of volunteers descended on New Berlin Food Pantry on Saturday, May 14 to assist with the annual US Postal Service food drive. Over the course of seven hours, thousands of pounds of food was sorted and shelved for needy families in the area.
 
During the collection, which ran from 9:00 a.m. to roughly 4:00 p.m, multiple private vehicles and postal vans pulled up to drop off the many bags of donated food items. Volunteer "pickers" would sort the items into a multitude of trays and barrels. In fact, there was a receptacle for every type of food product (green beans, condiments, corn, cereal, and such). Once sorted by type, the food was taken inside for date verification and shelving. (Any food more than six months beyond its expiration date is discarded.)
 
By 1:00 p.m., the food pantry had received nearly eight tons of food. (Last year's food drive took in an estimated 34,000 lbs. of food.) A final estimate will be available later this week.
 
Stephanie Friemoth, Rotary Club of New Berlin, New Berlin Rotary, New Berlin Food PantryRotarian Stephanie Friemoth shows other volunteers how and where to stack the crates of food. Each crate is for a specific food item and expiration year (peas 2017, for example). The food pantry also has a walk-in cooler for milk and other perishables they purchase throughout the month.
 
 
Rotary Club of New Berlin, Tom Fuszard, Melissa Palfery, Art Angove, New Berlin RotarySporting their Rotarian At Work safety vests are club members Melissa Palfery, Tom Fuszard and Art Angove. Rotarian Linda Joel and her husband stopped by, as well. But the sorting was all caught up at the moment, so they moved on. (It's the thought that counts, Linda!)
 
In addition to the postal service food drive, Rotarians assist with food sorting during the Weatherstone collection. Residents of the Weatherstone subdivision in New Berlin donate food items the first Saturday in December. These are two of the many ways Rotary Club of New Berlin gives back to the community.

New Berlin Food Pantry serves needy families in New Berlin, Elm Grove and Brookfield. Clients pick up groceries on Wednesday afternoon. Donations, both food and cash, are welcome from 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday (the only day the food pantry is open).
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UPDATE: According to Barb Jacob, Assistant Director, 28,500 lbs. of food items was donated during this drive. That's down from 2015, but last year's collection was a record. "I didn't expect to repeat that," Jacob says. This collection should last six to eight months.
 
In addition to Rotarians, members of New Berlin Eisenhower's football team, Greendale High School students and Boy Scouts from Troop 53 were among the many volunteers who helped out.
 
Donations are always welcome. The food pantry is particularly interested in canned goods (including meat products) and cereal. Cash is helpful, because the food pantry buys milk and eggs weekly. They cannot accept fresh fruits and vegetables, Jacob says. Remember that New Berlin Food Pantry is only open on Wednesdays. For more information, call 262-789-8040.