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Feed 214 families each week at Community Pantry in San Jose

Help keep a free food pantry open for families and seniors in San Jose.

Anywhere in the world3,548 views
Mason T. Vega
Email verified
San Jose
Since 2021, our volunteer team has run Community Pantry every Thursday from the back of a school canteen. We started with 13 families, and now we feed 214 each week. Donations have dropped by about 36% this harvest gap, while the line has grown every single week. We rely on volunteers - 13 of us - and keep no salaries or overhead. I buy staples at wholesale prices at the San Jose market and keep every receipt. Each $30 feeds a family of four for a week. I'll post the weekly shopping receipts and a photo of the shelves each Sunday. Where the $3,200 goes: • Rice, beans, flour and oil (wholesale): $960 • Fresh vegetables and fruit: $1,250 • Baby formula and diapers: $700 • Refrigeration and electricity: $290 Thanks for being kind about this.
#food-pantry#hunger#volunteer-led#food

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RecentTop gifts
  • Anonymous 🇺🇸 · $30

    “Praying for you. Hope you get the rest soon. - Albuquerque”

  • Asma Hiba Hamdan 🇪🇬 · $17
  • Sebastião Guilherme Araújo 🇧🇷 · $25
  • Cora B. Calloway 🇨🇦 · $25

    “Hang in there. Gave what I could this week. - Toronto”

  • Kwabena Samuel Obeng 🇬🇭 · $10

    “Get well soon. Only $10 but hope it helps. - Tema”

  • Naresh Kamal Adhikari 🇳🇵 · $15

    “Blessings. Thought of Mason all day after reading this.”

  • Hudson P. Luna 🇨🇦 · $25

    “Praying for you. Gave what I could this week. - Toronto”

  • Anonymous 🇰🇷 · $50
  • Dineo T. Jacobs 🇿🇦 · $10

    “Get well soon. Only $10 but hope it helps. - Cape Town”

  • Levi N. Keller 🇬🇧 · $100

    “You got this. Hope this covers a bit of it. - Derry”

  • Eliane Vanessa Miranda 🇧🇷 · $5
  • Vy Huyền Dao 🇻🇳 · $50

    “Sending love. Gave what I could this week. - Cầu Giấy”

  • Finn Prins 🇳🇱 · $25
  • Anonymous 🇧🇷 · $25
  • Keith T. Black 🇦🇺 · $250
  • Anonymous 🇮🇳 · $250
  • Anonymous 🇻🇳 · $25
  • Hugo D. Estrada 🇪🇸 · $15

    “Hang in there. - Alcalá de Henares”

  • Lincoln M. Howard 🇺🇸 · $15

    “All the best. Thought of Mason all day after reading this.”

  • Agnès Rey 🇫🇷 · $672

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  • Jihan Fitria Suryadi

    Hang in there, Mason. Everyone deserves a bit of help sometimes. Don't give up

    • Wayne G. MoranQuestion

      Is there a list of costs somewhere? Just curious how it adds up for Mason

      • Mason T. VegaOwnerAnswer

        The list at the bottom is the whole picture. rice, beans, flour and oil (wholesale) is the biggest at $960. Thanks, that means a lot.

    • Zuzanna Helena Głowacki

      Hope it all works out. Shared it with a few friends. Don't lose heart. A few weeks ago I was in a hole too and it changed faster than I expected!

      • Mwanaisha Awino AthumaniPhoto verified

        I've been in a tough spot myself and it does get easier. Thinking of San Jose.

        • Lyudmila Kuznetsov

          Hang in there. Hope you get there. My daughter saw me on my phone and now she wants to give her pocket money. Blessings.

          • Mariana D. Flores

            so sorry you're going through this. Projects like this are what make a place worth living in. All the best.

            $3,991.50 raised of $3,200

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