KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Food Pantry volunteers wish to thank all who have helped to feed the hungry.

The pantry distributes food on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month.

Recently, it celebrated its one-year anniversary. In that time, it has grown from distributing three bags of food on the first day to distributing 76 bags on March 26.

During the year, volunteers have given out 733 bags of groceries feeding 2,115 people.

Yes, the lines were long at the beginning of each giveaway, but no one was turned away for the two hours the pantry was open.

Along with the bag of staples such as cereal, rice, canned fruit, vegetables, peanut butter, pasta and sauce, the pantry was able to provide fresh potatoes, onions, carrots, apples, oranges and bread.

The estimated value of each bag of groceries is around $28 to $30 per bag. Multiply that by the 76 bags or more given out each time and one can see that the pantry spends almost $1,100 a month.

The pantry has relied heavily on the talents of some incredible bargain shoppers and thanks to the generosity of the people of Kelseyville in the form of money and donations of non-perishable items, the pantry has been able to keep up with the growing demand.

With the continued support of the community and the Kelseyville Presbyterian, the Methodists and the Unitarian Universalists churches, the pantry will be able to continue to feed the hungry.

The food pantry has accomplished so much with no administrative costs, but as the need grows, more community people – and not just church members – need to get involved.

Donations can be dropped off at Kelseyville Presbyterian Church during office hours, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or on Sunday mornings at any of the other churches.

If a company is willing to put out collection boxes or have food drives please contact Julie at the KPC at 707-279-1104.