Maybe it shows up on your Facebook page ... or maybe it arrives in an email. The graphic purports to tell you why certain items are or are not good choices to donate to your local food pantry. Suggestions include donating boxed milk, a can opener, oil, and fresh produce and meat. At this point, you're thinking, "Wow, I never thought of those things," and if you have been donating soup and pasta and peanut butter, you feel like maybe you have not been doing your part.

The Merchandiser contacted Atle Bjanes, president of the Lititz Warwick Community Chest, to find out how the local pantry works and which donations are most helpful to the Lititz community. Bjanes explained that clients do not visit the Community Chest to shop. Rather, a client calls the Community Chest and provides information to a phone volunteer about whether he or she lives in Warwick School District. The phone volunteer then turns the client over to a delivery volunteer, who sets up a delivery date. The delivery person visits the food pantry to collect specific dry good items, such as tuna, soups, and pasta, and then visits a grocery store to purchase fresh and frozen foods, including milk, 10 pounds of meat, two dozen eggs, and vegetables.

Because the pantry is not a choice pantry where clients can select groceries from the shelves, the phone volunteers ask what clients like to eat. "We ask our clients questions, (such as) 'What kind of milk do you prefer? What kind of bread do you prefer?' And about preferences for fruit," said Bjanes, who noted that delivery volunteers are instructed to purchase a quality loaf of bread.

Nonfood items that the Community Chest works to provide include a variety of brands and types of feminine hygiene products, diapers and baby wipes, and dishwashing detergent.

Items that the Lititz Warwick Community Chest especially needs include ready-to-eat canned soups, baked beans, canned beans, canned stew, and sloppy joe sauce. White or brown rice, instant mashed potatoes, all types of pasta, and tuna or chicken helper meals are needed. Canned meats such as chicken and Spam are requested. Syrup, jam, coffee, and mayonnaise are also needed. Nonfood products that the pantry can use include deodorant and feminine hygiene products.

Bjanes noted that sugar and flour are handed out when they are available in the pantry. Crackers are also given out when they are available.

"This (system) has been developed over the years, and our local community has been very generous in donating items to our pantry and especially during the pandemic," said Bjanes. "We have been able to increase the number of deliveries to clients. It is not infrequent for clients to be overwhelmed with the amount of food they receive," he added. "That feels good as volunteers that we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors."

For more information on ways to donate, readers may visit http://lwcommunitychest.org or search for "Lititz Warwick Community Chest" on Facebook. Individuals who are in need of food or are interested in volunteering may call 717-627-0770.