Parkland CARES Food Pantry

During a Student Government Dress for the Cause event in December, Cetronia Elementary raised over $1,200 in donations! We greatly appreciate the generous support and Go Hedgehogs! #communityhelpingcommunity #parklandcaresfoodpantry #lehighvalley #CARESforcommunity

January Volunteer Appreciation! Mark and Anne Stibitz are long-time residents in the Parkland School District, their two daughters are Parkland graduates and their four grandchildren are current / future Parkland elementary students. Mark and Anne are regular volunteers at Parkland C.A.R.E.S., helping in a variety of ways food distributions, food collections, snack pack assembly and packaging the generous donations from Back Home Bagels. Looking to give back to the comm...unity, Mark and Anne are passionate about helping families during challenging times. Please join us in showing our appreciation for Mark and Anne! #communityhelpingcommunity #parklandcaresfoodpantry #lehighvalley #CARESforcommunity

Thank you, Parkway Manor Elementary School for contributing towards our January distribution! Families donated and collected food at school and then, these dedicated staff members braved the cold weather to volunteer with us all morning! They sorted and packed the donated items and helped distribute everything to our families! Great work, Parkway Manor! Panther Pride! #communityhelpingcommunity #parklandcaresfoodpantry #lehighvalley #CARESforcommunity Parkland School District

Next collection date: January 21st, 2:00 - 4:00 PM! We love being to able to provide our families with these necessary items so we greatly appreciate all donations! Thank you! #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #CARESforcommunity #parklandcaresfoodpantry

Over the past few weeks, we have been lucky to have many helpful student volunteers. They don't get to help as much as they used to but they sure do work hard when they come! Thank you to all our student volunteers! #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #CARESforcommunity

Thank you to our community for making our first distribution of 2021 a huge success! Our donors, volunteers, and community partners remain devoted to supporting our mission and we continue to be astounded by their generosity! Special thanks to: Rodale Institute: donation of 200 lbs. of potatoes Upper Macungie Township Station 56: for volunteering your time... Josh Early Candies: delivery help with the refrigerated truck Allentown West Rotary Club: donations of produce Crooked Row Farm: providing produce and eggs Lehigh Valley Chamber: donations of paper products Life Church Macungie and Orchard Hills Church: donations of bread, peanut butter, jelly and cheese Girl Scout Troop 11098: donation of cookies Volunteers from Parkway Manor Elementary School , Fogelsville Elementary School, Kernsville Elementary School, Veterans Memorial, Cetronia Elementary School, Parkland High School, Parkland Boys Soccer, and the Parkland School District Board! Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania, Fogelsville Volunteer Fire Company, and PA State Police #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #CARESforcommunity #parklandcaresfoodpantry

Just take a look around and you will find a warmhearted community at work! Thank you to South Whitehall Township Police Department for coming today to take aerial photos for us! More photos and thank you's from our January distribution to come! #commmunityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity

Last, but most certainly not least, allow us to formally introduce our Executive Director and Co-Founder, Katrina Sundstrom. Anyone who has been connected to the Pantry has witnessed Katrina's heart at work. From the tiniest seed of an idea, Katrina has brought this Pantry and this community to life. As Executive Director, Katrina manages all the day to day operations of the Pantry. She writes grants for funding and she takes out the trash. She spends weeks coordinating food... distributions and she checks for dented cans. She greets every family with the warmest conversations and she cleans the refrigerators. She sends late night emails and hand written thank you notes. She hosts important meetings or calls with businesses, organizations, and 3rd graders. She works on procedures, manuals, and databases and she buys coffee for volunteers. Katrina’s giving spirit and tireless hands touch every single aspect of the Pantry we couldn’t possibly list all the ways! As a loving wife, dedicated mother, and Executive Director of Parkland C.A.R.E.S. Food Pantry, Katrina’s work is changing the story of our community and we will graciously follow her lead. Please join us in showing our tremendous appreciation for Katrina! #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #CARESforcommunity #parklandcaresfoodpantry

A beautiful and festive night in our community! Our directors, along with their families, and some faithful volunteers collected donations at the South Whitehall Township Parks and Recreation Holiday Lights Drive-Thru. We also decorated a tree in the park, filled with our hearts! Thank you to everyone who generously donated and coordinated this incredible event! We couldn't be more grateful to be a part of a community that comes together to help each other, when we all need it the most! #communityhelpingcommuity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity

Enjoy the holiday lights tonight and say hello to our Directors! Thank you again, South Whitehall Township Parks and Recreation for including a food drive for Parkland C.A.R.E.S! The event is 5pm - 8pm at Covered Bridge Park and you can find more information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/3797803933610875... #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity

In partnership with the South Whitehall Township Police Department, Travis Manion Foundation and Heroes Fighting Hunger, we will be open to accept donations on Wednesday, November 11th from 2:00 - 4:00 PM. This is the final food drive for the Heroes Fighting Hunger campaign and will be the only day we are open to accept donations in November. Please help by sharing this post - we are so grateful for your support! #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #CARESforcommunity #parklandcaresfoodpantry

The South Whitehall Township Police Department and Travis Manion Foundation food drive is beginning now! Come on out until 1:00 PM today at Covered Bridge Park! We are so grateful to be a part of this event. Thank you! #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity

December Volunteer Appreciation! Gayle has been with us since the very beginning! She previously worked to check in families at nearly every Open Pantry and now, she checks in volunteers and helps where ever she is needed during our distributions. Gayle shared that "It was from the death of my late husband, Gary Smith, and the grief of the Sundstrom family, that the seed of serving and caring for the Parkland community started. Gary drove bus for the Parkland school dist...rict and a friendship between him and the family developed. If Gary were here today he would be shocked and honored to see the birth and growth, the work and generous giving that has become Parkland C.A.R.E.S. I am honored to be a volunteer in an organization that not only wishes to help relieve the pressures of a hurting family but deeply cares and respects them." Please join us in showing our appreciation for Gayle! #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity

A lot of preparation goes into our food distributions! Thankfully, we have the BEST volunteers helping us! We received our monthly order from Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania and our volunteers starting packing right away! #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity

The next Heroes Fighting Hunger Food Drive will be on Saturday, October 31st from 10 A.M. until 1 P.M. at the Covered Bridge Park. You can also drop off items at the Greenawalds Fire/Rescue 11, Tri-Clover Volunteer Fire Co. and Woodlawn Fire Department anytime until November 10th. If you plan on dropping items off at one of the fire departments, please mark which branch of service you are donating for. Thank you to South Whitehall Township Police Department, Reagan Kinney, and Travis Manion Foundation! #operationlegacy #communityhelpingcommunity #CARESforcommunity #parklandcaresfoodpantry #lehighvalley #heroesforhunger

Megan's Pampered Chef fundraiser ends on 10/31 so you have a few more days to place an order that supports the Pantry! 15% of all sales will be donated to the Pantry. Thank you again, Megan! Click here to place an order: https://www.pamperedchef.com/party/parklandcares1015 #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity

November and December Drive Thru Food Distribution dates! See our website for more information: https://parklandcaresfp.org/our-pantry/... #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity

Some happy helpers set out to spread holiday cheer during our distribution last weekend! Your generosity and time made this distribution a special one! Thank you so much! Holiday gift bags provided by: Orchard Hills Church, BB&T, The Bajwa Family, Allentown West Rotary Club, Fred J. Jaindl Elementary School, Fogelsville Elementary School and Veterans Memorial Elementary School Hot Chocolate from Nativity Lutheran Church ... Stuffed animals donated by The Nuschke Family Volunteers, fire truck, and special North Pole visitor from Tri-Clover Volunteer Fire Co. #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity

We are here until 1:00 PM today, accepting donations with South Whitehall Township Police Department and Travis Manion Foundation! Thank you to all who already stopped by! #communityhelpingcommunity

This month, we would like the Parkland C.A.R.E.S. Food Pantry community to meet Tina Patel! Tina plays a major role for Parkland C.A.R.E.S. as the Snack Pack Director. She is responsible for the development of the program as it runs today. Each month, nearly 300 Snack Packs are given to Parkland students to help curb hunger over the weekend. Tina works closely with the school counselors helping to ensure that enough Snack Packs are delivered each month. She also works clo...sely with Costco to place orders for the food items needed to fill the Snack Packs. Once a month, Tina and Parkland C.A.R.E.S. volunteers meet to pack the Snack Packs at the Fogelsville Volunteer Fire Department. She is a dedicated mother of 3 and has been married to her husband for 22 years. When she is not devoting her time to the Pantry, Tina can be found watching baseball, softball, and spending quality time with her family. Hundreds of students are fed each month thanks to Tina and her passion for making a difference. Please join us in showing our appreciation for Tina! #communityhelpingcommunity #parklandcaresfoodpantry #lehighvalley #CARESforcommunity

Thanks to Lehigh Valley FHFH, our freezer is always stocked! Matt Coblentz and Lehigh Valley FHFH have supplied us with beef and venison since before we even opened our doors and continue to be a source of nourishment for our families. Thank you for your continual support! Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry - FHFH #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity

We incredibly humbled and honored to partner with Travis Manion Foundation , South Whitehall Township Police Department and Reagan Kinney, a Parkland School District junior for this food drive event. There are thirteen veterans who are employed by the South Whitehall Township Police Department. These officers will be representing their branch of service for the food drive. Please help us share this post to spread the word! There will be three events to drop off these items ...as well as four drop off locations. The events will be on: - Saturday, October 24th from 10 AM 1 PM at the Covered Bridge Park located at 2465 Wehr Mill Rd. Allentown with Jersey Mike's Subs - Saturday, October 31st from 10 AM 1 PM at the Covered Bridge Park located at 2465 Wehr Mill Rd. Allentown with Biaggio's Pizzeria & Family Restaurant - Wednesday, November 11th / Veteran’s Day, we will have a final drop off and ceremony at a location and time to be determined in the near future. The first one hundred people to donate during this event will be provided with a promotional item donated from the Travis Manion Foundation. You can also drop off items anytime up to Tuesday, November 10th at these locations: - Greenawalds Fire/Rescue 11 2500 Focht Avenue Allentown, PA 18104 - Tri-Clover Volunteer Fire Co. 4801 Kernsville Road Orefield, PA 18069 - Woodlawn Fire Department 1651 Whitehall Avenue Allentown, PA 18104 When dropping off, please note which branch your donation represents. During the Veteran’s Day event, the donations will be totaled for each branch of service. The winning branch of service will be recognized at the event and through social media. Please see this post for even more information: https://www.facebook.com/southwhitehallpd/posts/3485552391511181 #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity #heroesfightinghunger #operationlegacy

Thank you Yofresh Yogurt Cafe: Allentown for your generosity and support! The purchase of a gift card brings a donation back to the Pantry - helping us to continue to serve our community! #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #lehighvalley

The Snack Pack program is up and running! We provide monthly Snack Packs to Parkland School District students that are filled with easy to prepare and nourishing meals. Our volunteers take donated or purchased items and pack them into bags. Once complete, the Snack Packs are delivered to the schools! The generous support we receive from our community makes this program possible! #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity

We were honored to receive a grant from Western Lehigh Chamber of Commerce this week! Thank you for your continued support! We are in good company as Fogelsville Volunteer Fire Company and the Krysta Hankee Memorial Fund received grants as well! Congratulations! #communityhelpingcommunity #lehighvalley #Parklandcaresfoodpantry #CARESforcommunity