Holy Infant hosting Drive-By Food Drive for Catholic Charities

May 13, 2020

Catholic Charities Durham Community Food Pantry needs our support. The pantry has been back in operation for the past three weeks after closing to evaluate and adjust operations to provide a safe means of distribution for our community members and for the volunteers.

Since re-opening, food distribution has occurred via a curbside pick-up process to over 200 families each Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The line of cars sometimes wraps the very large parking lot at the Lakewood Shopping Center where the pantry is located. The number of families being served each week has doubled during this COVID-19 crisis, while donations have decreased significantly.

To help address the need, Holy Infant will sponsor a Drive-By Food Drive on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to noon in the church parking lot.

“Their pantry is really getting down to bare shelves,” Father Robert said at Mass on Sunday, May 3. “[The food drive] would be a huge help to Catholic Charities and a huge help to all those who are struggling right now. We have been doing a lot in terms of funding but this gives us an opportunity to go get groceries ourselves.”

The donation process is easy and safe, following the Diocesan-approved process for the curbside food distribution pick-up used at the pantry. Here’s how it will work:

Place your donation in the trunk of your vehicle.
Drive to the designated location in the parking lot.
Open the trunk of your vehicle while remaining seated in your vehicle.
A volunteer will remove the donation and close the trunk.

You may also place the donations near the door on the back seat of the passenger side of your vehicle to allow the volunteer to open the door and remove the donation with minimal reach-in. The pantry box truck will be on site and directly loaded with the donations as they are received.

To make a monetary donation directly to the Durham Community Food Pantry, click here.

All food items are needed; however, some particular items needed include cans of fruit, tuna and other canned meats, rice, canned pasta sauce, pasta, packaged pasta and rice side dish mixes, instant mashed potatoes, cereal, mac and cheese, dinner mixes, "meal in a can" (Spaghetti-O's, Hormel Compleats, ravioli, beef stew, chili, etc).

For more information, contact Mary Shaver at the church office at 919-544-7135.