Evans Elementary is linking its food collection efforts to those of the "Fill The Media Lab" campaign. Organizers say they're grateful for the assistance

LIMERICK PA – Students at the Spring-Ford Area School District’s Evans Elementary School are reaching into their family kitchen cupboards to lend a helping hand to Royersford PA-based Project Outreach. They’re also providing added momentum to the 2012 edition of the local “Fill The Media Lab” food drive campaign that benefits free food pantries across Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties.

Evans annually collects a variety of food items during March to be donated to Project Outreach, which serves client families within Spring-Ford, according to first-grade teacher and organizer Bernadette Pence. This year’s effort, though, is being linked to the first attempt by The (Pottstown PA) Mercury newspaper, The Limerick Post and The Post Publications, and local blog authors to fight against hunger.

Those who read and enjoy the content of websites and blogs participating in the food drive are being asked to collect and donate food items for a lengthy list of pantries, where the needs of economically squeezed families are outstripping available supplies. The campaign hopes to collect and distribute 20,000 food items, and another 1,000 bottles of laundry detergent, before April 7 (2012), the weekend of Passover and Easter.

It’s a lofty goal, and the campaign is far from its objective with 22 days remaining. The assistance from Evans represents a big boost in meeting the need, everyone involved agrees.

Other Evans’ teachers have joined Pence in encouraging the school’s 600 students to bring in non-perishable food items that will help others during the spring holidays. The faculty and kids hope to fill 30 to 40 boxes with the items, which will be packed in the first week of April and sent to Project Outreach.

Spring is the perfect time to conduct a food drive, Pence noted, because few other food collection programs are scheduled, unlike during Thanksgiving and Christmas. “It’s important for everyone to realize that someone out in the community is in need, and this is a way that anyone and everyone can help,” she added.

Different types of food students are being collected by grade:

• Kindergarten — Instant oatmeal, pancake mix, syrup, cereal, breakfast bars, Pop-Tarts, peanut butter and jelly;
• First — Granola bars, Jell-O, pudding, cake mix, frosting, candy, cookies, graham crackers, crackers, popcorn, brownies, pretzels and chips;
• Second — An assortment of drinks, including water, soda, hot chocolate, tea, juice boxes, juice bottles, Gatorade, lemonade, mixes and coffee;
• Third — Food that is in cans, cups or boxes, such as broth, soup, vegetables, fruit, Spam, dried fruit, tuna, chicken, turkey, crab meat and gravy; and
• Fourth — Pasta, macaroni and cheese, rice, mashed potatoes, noodles, sauce, taco kits, nuts.

“Each can or box of food will greatly benefit … will make a substantial impact” on those in need, Pence said. “We are grateful for the community’s support.”

Community members interested in donating food to the drive can call the school at 610-705-6012, or drop items off at its main office, 125 Sunset Rd., Limerick PA.

Related:

• Evans’ Student Food Drive Counting In Bloggers’ Effort (The Limerick Post)
• Media Lab Food Drive attracting small and large donations, all are appreciated (The Mercury)
• St. Al’s Donations Already Piling Up (Digital Notebook)
• Pantries Get Help From Limerick, Phoenixville, Pottstown (Sanatoga Post)
• Fill The Media Lab Food Drive (DIY Frugal)
• Pottstown Mercury engages bloggers in community food drive (The Steve Buttry Diary)
• Pinterest Board: Food (Bob Garrett)
• St. Aloysius joins Fill the Media Lab food drive (The Mercury)
• Wanna Know Where You Can Drop Off Food To Help Local Residents? (Pottstown’s Blog)
• Area food drive picking up speed (Positively Pottstown)
• Sanatoga’s Zuber Realty Joins The Food Pantries’ Fight (Sanatoga Post)
• Communities Coming Together To Give Back (So Much To Do, So Little Time)
• POVERTY: Food for Thought (Agitator In Chief)
• They’ll Give You the Food on Your Back (Digital Notebook)
• Fill the Media Lab Food Drive (Yoga Wisdom For Every Day)
• Donating Food! (Pottstown’s Blog)
• Help Struggling Food Banks / Open Door Ministry (Cooking Creation)
• S-H-A-R-E (Roots Of Revitalization)
• Manna on Main Street (News From Zion’s)
• Help Out The North Coventry Food Pantry (52 Ways To Wake Up A Week)
• Chloe and Belle Added TWO More Dropoff Sites (Tails Of 2 Dogs)
• Got Goodies For The Food Pantries? Drop ‘Em Off Here (Sanatoga Post)
• Food collection challenge takes off (The Mercury)
• Belle and Chloe Added New Donation Dropoff Locations! (Tails Of 2 Dogs)
• Belle and Chloe NEED Your Help! (Tails Of 2 Dogs)
• Positively Pottstown joins “Fill the Media Lab” food drive (Positively Pottstown)
• Updated Dropoff List for Fill Our Media Lab (Tails Of 2 Dogs)
• Pinterest Board: Fill The Media Lab (The Mercury)
• Good Thing, Small Package: Food Drive Gets $50 Start (Sanatoga Post)
• ‘Fill the Media Lab:’ A local effort to fight hunger (The Mercury)
• Posts, Mercury, Bloggers Unite To Fight Local Hunger (Sanatoga Post)
• Join our challenge to ‘fill the Media Lab’ and help local food pantries (The Mercury)

Photo from the Spring-Ford Area School District