SHENANDOAH - The Shenandoah Food Pantry received a generous boost Wednesday from a local bank with a donation to help with operations.
Representatives from Santander Bank presented a check for $500 to Schuylkill Community Action, which operates 18 food pantries in the county, including Shenandoah, as part of the bank chain's "Ideas for Good" giving campaign.
The presentation of the check was made in the bank lobby by Christine M. Marcolla, assistant vice president and branch manager, to SCA Program Operations Specialist Jason Schally and SCA board member Jean A. Haberl.
The food pantry moved to the Knights of Columbus Francis Cardinal Brennan Council 618 in January and is open on the last Friday of odd months from 10 a.m. to noon. Located at 201 W. Cherry St., the food pantry serves residents of Shenandoah, Gilberton and West Mahanoy Township.
"We're very, very grateful for the donation," Schally said to Marcolla. "The funds are vital and we're very happy that you thought of us."
"Definitely a worthy cause," Marcolla said.
Santander Bank has presented more than 500 nonprofit organizations in the nine states it has branches with donations from the "Ideas for Good" giving campaign, according to Marcolla. The initiative was created to help introduce the bank's name to communities late last year. Local Sovereign Bank branches became Santander Bank branches in October 2013.
"Customer and non-customers had a chance to vote on local causes that we thought were good," Marcolla said. "People would take a ticket and vote for which cause was the most worthy, and the Shenandoah Food Pantry was the one."
Marcolla said the bank chain is interested in being an active part of the community.
"With the name change, we want people to know who we are," she said. "We live and work in the community and we're trying to better the community."
Personal Banking Representative Veronica Sidle said similar campaigns are being or have been held in other branches.
Schally said the move to the Knights building has been a positive one.
"We've had three distributions in 2014 so far and it's worked out really well," Schally said. "We're very happy and grateful to the Knights of Columbus in Shenandoah. They're very generous with their time and space. And our program participants are super happy about the pantry in obtaining frozen food and fresh produce products, in addition to all the dry goods we purchase from our wholesaler and the federal surplus dry good we get from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture."
Also attending the check presentation was council Grand Knight William Applegate Jr.
"We have a system now that works," Applegate said. "We take care of everything nice and quick. We have the people coming in the back door and going out the front door. It works a lot better. We bag everything in the kitchen and put it in the next room. In the front room, where the chapel is, the cereals and other items are handed out."
Schally said information on any SCA food pantry in the county can be obtained by calling SCA at 570-622-1995. A list of the food pantry sites and schedules can be found at www.schuylkillcommunityaction.com/services/pantries.html.