SWAMPSCOTT — Collaborating with Anchor Food Pantry, Swampscott High School students helped gather 130 bags of donations on Sunday for people who are struggling during the holiday season.
Volunteer Susan Downs-Cripps said the students, as well as community members who volunteered their time, worked from roughly 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Some of the biggest items they collected were frozen turkeys, rolls of bread, pies, and non-perishables. They also delivered gift cards to residents.
“Our set-up team started around 7:30 a.m. that morning. We rented a U-Haul truck to go over to Stop and Shop, and then the kids came back to unload the food,” Downs-Cripps said.
The trove of donations also came in part from the pantry’s recent food drive, which requested items like canned corn, pasta, pasta sauce, canned fruits, and soups.
“With this last food drive, the generosity that people have for their neighbors was just wonderful,” Downs-Cripps said. “It was a really hard month for some people, with the delay to SNAP benefits.”
During that time, the pantry saw the addition of several new households that signed up for assistance, Downs-Cripps said. According to the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, the latest data shows that there are approximately 1,071 SNAP users in Swampscott, which is 6.8% of the Town’s population. In Nahant, the amount of users is 232 or 7% of the total 3,338 residents.
Downs-Cripps explained what it means to her to see the community come together in support of the cause.
“It’s not just the sense of support from the donations, but also from people who come in to give up part of their Sunday to help us… The weather was nice for awhile, but we lost the sun around 9:30 a.m. — and it was cold (and) windy — but the people who were helping loading cars never complained,” she said. “Everyone was having a wonderful time.”
Downs-Cripps mentioned the donations gathered were delivered to residents throughout Swampscott and Nahant.
Anchor Food Pantry will be closed the week of Thanksgiving before opening back up on Dec. 1.
Downs-Cripps said it warms her heart to be able to help provide for people who may be struggling during this time.
“At one time, I was a divorced mother of three, living 3,000 miles away from home in Los Angeles… I empathize with many families about their struggle. Having a source that will get them the food they need really means a lot,” she said. “
High School Principal Emily Zotto said she’s honored to lead an organization “where students and coaches voluntarily put themselves in situations where they want to do service for the community.”
“Whether it’s giving to the local food pantry or making donations to the police and fire departments, I just think it’s great. Not only for academics, but also for connecting with the community,” Zotto said.
