Our team at Shillen Mackall & Seldon were at the Price Chopper on North Plainfield Road in West Lebanon, NH on December 9^th in support of the LISTEN Food Pantry as well as the Woodstock Community Food Shelf. Our firm believes in giving back to our community, which is why we are happy to help these organizations provide clean and healthy food to those in need.

We hit a new record with over 500lbs of food generated!

What Do These Organizations Do?

LISTEN Community Services and the Woodstock Food Shelf are both dedicated to ensuring their respective communities receive healthy and high-quality food, especially in times of need. LISTEN Community Services has existed for over 50 years. Their organization has served the Upper Valley community with the goal of providing low-income citizens with programs to help improve their ability to meet their needs. LISTEN offers Community Dinners, which happen 6 nights a week and serve free meals to the Upper Valley community.

LISTEN also has a food pantry, located at 60 Hanover St in Lebanon, NH. Their food pantry supports many people in need, and we are partnering with Local 22 and Local 44 news stations to help support them through the Feed a Family food drive.

The Woodstock Community Food Shelf proudly services the Woodstock, VT community and beyond. Their mission is to maintain an open and well-stocked food pantry that will provide nutrition to local families in times of need. Open since 1984, the Woodstock Community Food Shelf relies on donations from generous citizens to keep their doors open to those in need, which is why we are proud to help support them during the Feed a Family food drive.

Why Are Food Drives Important?

Food drives are important because they help local organizations, such as LISTEN and the Woodstock Community Food Shelf, provide food and other services to citizens in need. Many organizations rely solely on donations, and food drives help facilitate those donations.

Unfortunately, many American families experience food insecurity, which means they don’t have enough food for all their family members at any given time. Some facts about food insecurity in America:

• In 2019 and 2020, approximately 10.5% of adult American households were considered food insecure, and 15% of households including children were as well
• Approximately half of the people who made use of local food pantries in 2020 were doing so for the first time
• Black American families struggle the most with food insecurity: 2020 data revealed that over 21% of Black Americans were not sure where their next meal would come from
• The Center for Disease Control has found that families experiencing food insecurity are more likely to be overweight

When a family is experiencing food insecurity, it impacts almost every aspect of their lives. A lack of proper nutrition makes it more difficult to focus at school and work. Food insecurity creates stress for everyone involved and has both physical and emotional impacts on the people enduring it. Food drives are essential to helping tackle food insecurity at the community level.

How Can I Help?

Anyone can help during the Feed a Family food drive by donating the appropriate food items. On Thursday, December 16^th, the Feed a Family food drive will be in Burlington, VT at the City Market South End store. The food pantries can accept dry and canned nonperishable foods as donations, some of which include:

• Canned soups and stews
• Canned fruit
• Peanut butter
• Canned vegetables
• Canned meats
• Canned beans
• Pasta and rice
• Applesauce
• Cooking oils, such as olive and canola
• Crackers
• Herbs and spices
• Granola bars
• Nuts
• Cereal

Donating to the food drive will help a local family during a difficult time, and the Feed a Family food drive is grateful for every donation they receive. You can see our interview with Local 22 and Local 44’s Haley Bouley in which we discuss our involvement with the Feed a Family food drive, as well as photos from the event below.