Picture showed bare shelf at Dracut food pantry. Now, bounty - Lowell Sun

Picture showed bare shelf at Dracut food pantry. Now, bounty - Lowell Sun

DRACUT -- A tremendous wave of support has poured in for the Dracut Food Pantry in the weeks after a photo of an almost bare shelf was publicized in The Sun and on social media.

Volunteers said the pantry at 1934 Lakeview Ave. had reached all-time lows and they were seeking pasta, cereal, and other non-perishable items.

Individual donors and businesses have responded in droves.

"It was incredible. I've never seen anything like it," said Kevin Willett, chairman of the Dracut Food Pantry's Board of Directors. "The generosity was overwhelming, it was so great. It simply turned into the largest food drive we've ever had."

Dave Paquin, who also sits on the pantry's Board of Directors, said volunteers have been deluged with food to the point where they don't have the space at this particular time to sort through everything.

"What we've done is we've established an offsite location -- a temporary location -- to get us through the holidays and, once our inventory gets reduced a bit, we'll bring in that food that's been in storage," Paquin said. "The outpouring has been more than we could have ever expected."

According to Paquin, the donations include $1,200 worth of non-perishable foods and other items from Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union, a donation of more than 70 turkeys with all the fixings from the Manolis Family Foundation, $400 in cash donations from A-Brews Tap & Grill, and a $5,000 anonymous donation from a woman in memory of her late husband.


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Every school in the Dracut Public Schools system, he added, also collected food for the pantry. Paquin said that on Tuesday the pantry received several pickup truck loads of food from various schools in town.

In a written statement, Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union president and CEO Mark S. Cochran said the credit union is committed to supporting local organizations that help our neighbors who are in need of assistance.

"We are happy to provide the Dracut Food Pantry with this donation of supplies so it can fulfill its mission this holiday season," Cochran added.

Paquin said the pantry was open this past Saturday and helped approximately 80 clients or families. On Monday, the pantry gave out turkeys thanks to the Manolis Family Foundation. In addition, Paquin said the pantry has been receiving requests through its hotline and volunteers respond immediately to make arrangements to help service those in need.

Follow Amaris Castillo on Twitter @AmarisCastillo.