Pocket Area Churches Together (PACT) are sponsoring a food drive and are asking people to fill grocery bags with food and bring them to any of the churches listed below by Sunday, March 24. All of the food will be donated to the South Sacramento interfaith partnership on Monday, March 25.

The SSIP (South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership) Food Closet is in dire need of food.

Preferred items

Canned vegetables (include green beans), canned beans and chili, tomato products, (tomato sauce, paste, canned tomatoes, catsup, spaghetti sauce, etc.), canned soup, canned fruit, ramen and dry soup (include cup of noodles, Lipton soup, etc.), canned meats and fish (include canned stew), dry pasta and rice (include Rice-a-Roni, Hamburger Helper, Macaroni & Cheese, etc.), canned pasta (include Spaghetti Os, ravioli, etc.), peanut butter, jams and jellies (include almond butter), holiday foods
(canned cranberry, canned pumpkin, canned yams, canned gravy and stuffing mix),
miscellaneous (including: canned milk, cake mixes, crackers, etc.)

Drop-off spots

Faith Presbyterian Church, 625 Florin Rd., Sacramento. 428-3439
Greenhaven Lutheran Church, 475 Florin Road, Sacramento, 428-8449
Greenhaven Neighborhood Church, 630 Ark Way, Sacramento, 422-8253
Riverside Wesleyan Church, 6449 Riverside Blvd. Sacramento, 391-9845
St. Anthony Church, 660 Florin Rd. Sacramento, 428-5678

The Pocket Area Churches Together (PACT) will be having a Food Collection Drive on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at two local Sacramento markets –Bel Air and Nugget supermarket – in three locations. Canned foods and non-perishable items are needed for local food closets in the South Sacramento area.

The local churches that compose PACT are Faith Presbyterian, Riverside Wesleyan and St. Anthony Parish. They will be working together to collect and donate the items.

PACT had a very successful food drive last May. Some 3,500 pounds of food were collected and donated to local food closets.

Local need is great this fall. Unemployment continues to impact neighbors in every community. PACT needs the support of the Land Park and Pocket-Greenhaven communities to make this drive a successful one.

PACT volunteers will pass out flyers to shoppers who visit the participating stores on Oct. 29. The flyers will contain information on which canned foods and non-perishable items are being collected. Shoppers will be able to drop off the donated food as they exit the store. Containers will be set up for the collection.

“Your generosity in supporting our fellow brothers and sisters in need is greatly appreciated,” PACT said in a press release.

The food drive will be held at the Bel Air supermarkets located at 7565 Rush River Drive and 1301 Florin Road and the Nugget Supermarket at 1040 Florin Road.

CANNED GOODS will be gathered by PACT (Pocket Area Churches Together) on Oct. 29 to supply local food closets that serve South Sacramento residents who are in need during these tough times. Future projects to help neighbors in need are planned. / Photo iStockphoto

Canned goods were gathered by PACT (Pocket Area Churches Together) on May 15 to supply local food closets that serve South Sacramento residents who are in need during these tough times. Future projects to help neighbors in need are planned. / Photo iStockphoto

A new emerging ecumenical organization calling itself Pocket Area Churches Together (PACT) made quite a dent on hunger on Sunday, May 15. Consisting of members of Faith Presbyterian, Riverside Wesleyan, and St. Anthony Catholic churches, the fledgling organization brought together more than 85 volunteers to go door-to-door asking residents for canned goods to feed the hungry.

“Hunger never takes a day off,” said Frank Allen to the volunteers as they formed teams to go door to door. “Thousands of needy families in South Sacramento are turning to the Food Locker operated by the South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership for food. A year ago the Locker was providing needed nutrition for 3,000 families per month. Now that number has climbed to nearly 6,000 families. What this means is that the Food Locker needs a lot more canned goods to meet the increasing needs.”

Most of the food collected on Sunday went to the South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership (SSIP).

The volunteers formed teams of five to four walkers and one driver. They were assigned to go to about 100 Pocket area homes to share what the churches are doing and to offer people an opportunity to make a donation. The results were phenomenal. According to the director of the food locker, more than 1,600 pounds of food worth an estimated $3,000 was delivered on Monday morning and was already being used to feed hungry families.

What’s more, the volunteers from three Pocket area churches were thrilled with the results.

“Not only did we collect a lot of food for needy families, we also had a wonderful opportunity to meet and work with members of our neighboring congregations,” said John Stockton, a leader from Riverside Wesleyan. “God’s spirit was definitely with us as we prayed together, worked together and then celebrated by sharing a meal together. We look forward to doing more projects together in the near future.”

“The pastors of these churches have been meeting together for years,” said Jeff Chapman, pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church. “A few months ago, we decided it was time to turn our words and good intentions into joint action. PACT and this effort to feed the hungry was a first, excellent step.”

“We are gathering together as Christian communities of faith for the greater good of our whole community,” added Mike Higley, pastor of Riverside Wesleyan. “We believe we can do a lot more good together than separately. We’ve made a ‘pact’ to do just that.”