Busy Monday For EG Food Pantry

This time of year is always busy at the East Greenwich Ecumenical Food Pantry at St. Luke's Church, but Monday was particularly brisk. 

First pantry volunteers distributed the fixings for about 30 Thanksgiving meals, complete with turkeys. 

Supplies for those meals come courtesy of USI insurance company in East Greenwich. Every year, they collect money and one of their employees, Deb Ruggieri, does the shopping, explained Chris Bartlett, who with her husband Steve manages the food pantry.

"This year, she preordered the things at Stop and Shop and they dropped it off on Saturday," said Bartlett. The Bartletts just had to pick up the turkeys Monday morning.  

By noon, that food had all been distributed. At about 1, the entire student body of Eledredge Elementary School left their building, walked up Prospect Street, down Spring and through the municipal parking lot to the food pantry – all while carrying bags of canned goods. 

The parade was led by this year's "Head Turkey," fifth grade teacher Maryann Crudale. Her students brought in the most money to donate to the Rhode Island Food Bank. 

One-by-one, the students filed in to drop off their offerings. Each class had a "counter" who kept track of how many items were delivered. 

In the end, nearly 1,000 canned goods were delivered. That will come in handy, said Steve Bartlett, who noted that they give away 5,000 to 6,000 items every month. 

The school event is the brainchild of music teacher Mary Lamoureux, who works on it with the student council. 

"It's all about the students getting involved and then taking ownership of helping others," she said.