Between October 14 and November 22 the Rotary Club of Littleton will be collecting holiday food items for Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, the largest food pantry in North Central Massachusetts.
With the closing of Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer and the job losses and medical issues resulting from the closure, the need for food in this area will be greater than ever this holiday season. To help alleviate the increased need and make sure families have enough food for the holidays, the Rotary Club of Littleton is reaching out to local communities for financial donations as well as donations of food for the large number of families expected at the holiday food distributions. 

Located in Devens, MA, Loaves & Fishes distributes food and personal care items and offers counseling services to residents of Ayer, Devens, Dunstable, Groton, Harvard, Littleton and Shirley. Last year the Pantry provided food to 891 families (2482 individuals), 35% more than the previous year. 

Until November 18 (for both Thanksgiving and the December holidays) our Club will be collecting items to supplement the turkeys, hams and chickens given to clients so they can celebrate the holidays with a meal with their families. Loaves & Fishes purchases the meats at a discount through local supermarkets, while they depend on local contributions for all the "fixings." 

The food items the pantry needs are needs from this food drive are stuffing, crackers, gravy, cranberry sauce (both kinds), baking items, frosting, broth and stock, as well as coffee and tea (no K-cups). The Rotary Club of Littleton will be placing collection boxes in local offices, supermarkets and schools. Donations can also be dropped off at the Littleton Police Department's open house on October 26, at the Rotary booth at the Littleton Holiday Bazaar at the Littleton Middle School on December 7, or any time at the home of Denise Moniz, our Club President, at 163 King Street in Littleton. A full list of the donation box locations is on the Rotary Club of Littleton's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/RotaryLittleton.

Anyone wishing to make a monetary donation for the meals should send a check payable to Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, Inc. to P.O. Box 1, Ayer, MA 01432, and indicate in the memo section of the check that the donation is coming from Rotary.

if you have any questions or need more information about where to make a donation, please contact Judy Grande at 978-807-5831 or email her at judygrande2016@gmail.com. If you call, leave a message and she will get back to you as soon as possible (she does not usually answer calls from unfamiliar numbers.

Thank you for your help and generosity in making the season a little happier for a lot of people.