With Thanksgiving only three weeks away, the West End Brach Library is now not only accepting donations of shelf stable food for the ABCD NE/WE Food Pantry, but it’s also partnering on the Spice Bank Collaborative, with the goal of allowing more people to maintain their cultural identities and family traditions in their diets, as well as to help them discover creative, nutritious recipes.
The library, located at 151 Cambridge St., is currently accepting donations for the ABCD NE/WE Food Pantry, which is run by ABCD NE/WE Neighborhood Services. Besides items like tuna, pasta, rice, chicken salad, beans, canned fruit, cereal, breakfast bars, and shelf-stable milk, which all remain in demand year-round, donations of spices, popular holiday foods, and special treats are also being sought during the holiday season. Gift cards to local supermarkets are also always accepted.
Additionally, the Boston Public Library is collaborating with the Greater Boston Food Bank, and donations brought to the West End Branch Library will benefit the ABCD NE/WE Food Pantry.
In explaining the urgent need for their urgent need for food donations, Helen Bender, head librarian of the West End Branch Library, cited a recent statistic from Feeding America that 13.2 percent of Suffolk County residents are on the brink of hunger, so “it’s essential we get more donations to the Food Pantry,” she said.
“Most foods people received from the Food Pantry are bland, like rice and pasts, so spices can make a real difference and make meals more favorable,” added Bender. “And it can help them make dishes that are similar to those from their cultures, which is something they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.”
For more information, call the West End Branch Library at 617-523-3957.