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Weekly meals for families facing hunger in Erie

Patrick runs a volunteer pantry feeding 356 families; this fund restocks shelves for the harvest gap.

🇺🇸 United States2,377 views
Patrick B. Carrillo
Email verifiedPassport verified
Erie
Since 2019, our volunteer team has run Community Pantry every Thursday from the back of a community center. We started with 16 families, and now we feed 356 each week. Donations have dropped by about 41% this harvest gap, while the line has grown every single week. We rely on volunteers - 14 of us - and keep no salaries or overhead. I buy staples at wholesale prices at the Erie market and keep every receipt. Each $40 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 $2,600 goes: • Rice, beans, flour and oil (wholesale): $1,800 • Fresh vegetables and fruit: $440 • Refrigeration and electricity: $360 Thanks for being kind about this.
#food-pantry#hunger#volunteer-led#food

Updates from Patrick

  1. Good news. Because of your gifts ($945 in total) we've started the first stage. Still a way to go but it feels less lonely.

  2. Thank you all. We're at 20% now ($530). I'm honestly stunned. I met with the wholesaler and confirmed the amounts.

Donations

RecentTop gifts
  • Louise Odette Brun 🇫🇷 · $10
  • Anonymous 🇺🇸 · $10

    “Good luck. Thought of Patrick all day after reading this. - Dayton”

  • Yamuna C. Naidu 🇮🇳 · $50

    “Best of luck. Thought of Patrick all day after reading this. - Mumbai”

  • Mario Mario Rossi 🇮🇹 · $10
  • Idowu Grace Ogunbanjo 🇳🇬 · $50

    “Best of luck. Been where you are, it gets better. - Ikeja”

  • Jose C. Hayes 🇺🇸 · $76.50

    “Gave what I could this week. - Eugene”

  • Chioma Oluwaseun Oyelaran 🇳🇬 · $50

    “Stay strong. Thought of Patrick all day after reading this. - Lagos”

  • Kazuo Ryota Sato 🇯🇵 · $50
  • Emilia Hendricks 🇺🇸 · $10
  • Derek A. Murray 🇨🇦 · $50.50
  • Naveen K. Meena 🇮🇳 · $10
  • Anonymous 🇬🇧 · $47.50
  • Do-yoon Ji-ho Kwon 🇰🇷 · $20
  • Teklu Kaleb Zerihun 🇪🇹 · $20

    “Hope it all works out. Gave what I could this week. - Gondar”

  • Anonymous 🇺🇸 · $61

    “Wishing you the best. Hope you get the rest soon. - Columbia”

  • Noman Abdul Kabir 🇮🇳 · $10
  • Pari W. Tripathi 🇮🇳 · $10
  • Juan N. Ibáñez 🇪🇸 · $25
  • Anonymous 🇧🇷 · $15
  • Anonymous 🇮🇳 · $57.50

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  • Riaan N. FortuinID verified

    Stay strong, Patrick. Everyone deserves a bit of help sometimes. God bless

    • Rahayu Wulan Nasution

      Rooting for you, Patrick. Projects like this are what make a place worth living in. I went through something like this 12 years ago and strangers helped me out.

      • Amir Weiss

        sending love, Patrick. Your post was clear and honest. This is the second need I've supported on here and the first that made me cry.

        • Bruno Ronaldo Costa

          Thanks for sharing this, Patrick. Shared this with my family. God bless.

          • Habib Hasan Hasan

            I hope things turn around soon. I went through something like this 5 years ago and strangers helped me out.

            $2,558 raised of $2,600

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