'Spread the Love' food drives seek peanut butter donations for FeedMore WNY

Nonprofit in need of nonperishable food donations to replenish low supply

In order to help FeedMore WNY replenish its depleted supply of donated food, the nonprofit’s board of directors and community ambassador council are encouraging the community to support the upcoming “Spread the Love” peanut butter drives. The fundraisers will take place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturdays, May 22 and June 5, at various locations throughout FeedMore WNY’s service area of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties.

Food drive locations on May 22:

• Amherst Town Hall, 5583 Main St., Williamsville
• Walden Galleria Mall, 1 Walden Galleria, Cheektowaga
• Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce, 6524 E. Quaker St., Orchard Park
• Lexington Cooperative Market, 1678 Hertel Ave., Buffalo
• Tops Friendly Markets, 5827 S. Transit Road, Lockport

Food drive locations on June 5:

• NOCO Tonawanda, 2440 Sheridan Drive, Tonawanda
• Aurora Village Shopping Center, 123 Grey St., East Aurora
• Chautauqua Mall (near JCPenney), 318 E. Fairmount Ave., Lakewood
• Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo
• Olean Area Farmers Market, Lincoln Park Pavilion, 100 E. State St., Olean

A press release stated, “FeedMore WNY is experiencing an extreme shortage of community food donations. At the same time, largescale annual food drives that the organization has come to rely on over the years to help sustain its supply of food during the spring and summer months have been canceled once again due to the ongoing pandemic.

“The goal of the ‘Spread the Love’ food drives is to help FeedMore WNY replenish its donations of peanut butter – one of the nonprofit’s most requested items by partner agencies and hungry community members. Not only is peanut butter a nutritious form of protein, but it is a staple menu item for FeedMore WNY’s ‘BackPack’ program, which provides bags of easy-to-prepare, kid-friendly food to children in need.

Jerry Sheldon, immediate past chair of FeedMore WNY’s board, and “Spread the Love” co-chair, said, “So many of our community members remain in desperate need of food assistance due to the pandemic and, sadly, the increase in need will not go away any time soon. FeedMore WNY works tirelessly to ensure our hungry neighbors of all ages receive nutritious food to eat, but it cannot do so without the help of the community.”

FeedMore WNY board member and “Spread the Love” Co-Chair Carol DeNysschen said, “FeedMore WNY’s board and community ambassador council are honored to hold these ‘Spread the Love’ food drives, and we are grateful to our host locations – Amherst Town Hall, Aurora Village Shopping Center, Chautauqua Mall, Kleinhans Music Hall, Lexington Cooperative Market, NOCO Tonawanda, Olean Area Farmers Market, Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce, Tops Friendly Markets and Walden Galleria – for helping to make these events possible. We strongly encourage the community to stop by our food drive locations on May 22 and June 5 with donations to help feed the babies, children, families, veterans and older adults who rely on FeedMore WNY for critical food assistance.”

Members of the community are encouraged to donate peanut butter in plastic jars. Monetary donations also will be accepted at the various food drive locations and online at www.feedmorewny.org.

FeedMore WNY offers dignity, hope and a brighter future by providing nutritious food, friendship and skills training to its Western New York neighbors in need. Through its food bank distribution center and partner hunger-relief agencies, as well as its home-delivered meal program and other targeted feeding programs, FeedMore WNY alleviates hunger and assists community members of all ages throughout Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties. More information can be found at www.feedmorewny.org.