Whittier’s Community Drive begins Monday, March 6th and runs through the end of the month, Friday, March 31st. This year we are supporting two great organizations and celebrating the end of each week with a Spirit Day!

Luther Memorial Church Food Pantry

This food pantry is located directly across from Broadview-Thomson K8 on Greenwood Avenue. The church collaborates with a Boy Scout troop to serve individuals in the immediate area with food and other resources. Many of the resources to stock the pantry come directly from the congregation members (a small but committed group) and the church budget.

Because the pantry is available 24/7, it is impossible to know exactly how many people are served, but we know for sure that we have several people who use the pantry regularly. The pantry is stocked every day and it is almost always empty when it is time to be restocked the next day.

Unlike other food pantries, our main focus is on providing nutritious and ready to eat items, focusing especially on those in our community who do not always have ways to cook food. And, we also know that people enjoy treats like Oreos and Rice Krispie bars too!

In addition to food, our pantry provides some basic toiletry items, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, and individually wrapped toilet paper. The following items are the most needed at this current time:

Food:

• Mandarin oranges* (either cans or individual cups)
• Applesauce (either cups or the pouches)
• Peaches* (either cans or individual cups)
• Canned chicken
• Canned tuna
• Chili
• Beef jerky sticks
• Soup*
• Sardines
• Trail mix (individual packets)
• Nuts (individual packets)
• Granola bars
• Protein bars
• Shelf-stable milk cartons
• Individual bags of chips
• Pudding cups
• Raisins
• Rice Krispie treats
• Individual packets of Oreos
• Peanut butter crackers
• Cheese filled crackers
• Bottled water
• Granola bars
• Cup-o-Noodle

*If you provide canned items, please look for the ones with the pop-tops; many of the people who use our pantry do not always have access to can openers.

Ballard High School Teen Health Center

We are fortunate that all SPS high schools have a Teen Health Center where students can receive free health care and mental health therapy. Through the health center students can receive sports physicals, reproductive health care, treatment for illness (including chronic illness), immunizations and more.

In addition to providing care, the health center also provides food resources from the Ballard Food Bank and hygiene resources for students who may be experiencing house insecurity or other challenges.

We would like to gather hygiene resources for students at Ballard High School. These include:

• Deodorant
• Toothbrushes (individually packaged)
• Toothpaste
• Dental Floss
• Shampoo/Conditioner (small or travel size)
• Soap/Body wash (small or travel size)
• Lotion (small or travel size)
• Hair Brushes/Combs (individually packaged)
• Tampons/ Pads
• New drawstring backpacks