Northborough Food Pantry

“I took on [being] the point person and the leadership role that went along with it,” he said. “It’s a good thing. When you look at the big picture, its one day a year and it’s for a good cause. At a time of the year when the Food Pantry doesn’t have any food, we help replenish it for the summer.”

Last year, the event brought over 73 million pounds of food nationwide. In Northborough, donations totaled close to 3,000 pounds. For Wendorf, it’s a testament to the spirit of residents wanting to make a difference.
“To raise 3,000 pounds in a small town is pretty impressive,” he said. “The people who give know that it will go right to the people who need it.”

Although last year’s collection went reasonably well, donations were down. While the cause could be blamed on a downturn in the economy, Wendorf is counting on larger results this year.

“Hopefully we can go a little bit over this year,” he said. “We are hopeful to get the word out a bit more.”
The volunteer eff ort includes people at the Food Pantry, teenagers helping with the sorting of items, and the mail carriers, who take on the extra work of gathering items along their route It is a true community wide project.
“This is something everyone likes to do,” Wendorf said. “Everyone is right there and does their part. It’s just kind of an all-around effort.”

The best part for Wendorf is delivering all the items to the Food Pantry. It’s an opportunity to see just how big a difference that day can make. “It’s a good feeling,” he said. “When you leave at the end of the day and the Food Pantry’s shelves are all stocked, it’s a good feeling knowing it’s going to help.” Wendorf was quick to give a lot of credit to Food Pantry Director Sue Seppa and the rest of the volunteers at the pantry. “They are great,” he said. “Sue is fantastic. I can’t say enough about her and her work putting this together.” Wendorf is looking forward to getting his route started May 8.