Rotarians Dianne Moore (left) and Pat McLaughlin (center)
31,000 lbs. of help for needy families
"You load 16 tons, what do you get...."
If song writer Merle Travis were around today, he might tweak that famous line to say, "a full house at New Berlin Food Pantry."
Mother Nature threatened with a storm on May 12, but that didn't stop dozens of volunteers from coming out for the annual U.S. Postal Service food drive. Included in that helpful crew were five New Berlin Rotarians.
All told, some 31,000 lbs. of food and other products were donated, said the food pantry's Barb Jacobs.
Most of the sorting tables were inside the garage in case of rain. Upon arrival, the bags of food were first loaded into large carts for weighing. Then the individual bags are ripped open and the items are sorted. There were crates for peas, green beans, tuna, peanut butter...the entire gamut of food items. Other containers held personal hygiene and other nonfood products.New Berlin residents assisted postal employees in picking up bags of groceries. The result was a steady stream of vehicles starting at about 11:00 a.m. The event "ran a lot smoother than last year," Jacobs said. Among the volunteers were members of New Berlin Eisenhower's football team.
Rotarians present included Dianne Moore, Pat McLaughlin, Carmelita Stehr, Tom Fuszard and Jeremy Rynders.
The canned food, which comprised the lion's share of donations, should last the rest of the year, Jacobs said.
The New Berlin Food Pantry serves needy families in Brookfield, Elm Grove and New Berlin. The pantry is open only on Wednesdays. Food donations are accepted from 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. (Please do not donate expired food. It must be discarded.) Needy families may collect their food items from noon to 5:15 p.m. Any questions, call the food pantry on Wednesdays at 262-789-8040. You can also email to NewBerlinFoodPantry@icloud.com.