Editor:
My name is Cindy L. Rice, and I serve as the volunteer pantry manager at SHEM. I am responsible to oversee the smooth, safe operation of the food pantry facility.
SHEM has been a resource for families in crisis situations for over 41 years in Sweet Home. SHEM has been able to provide for the needs of thousands of people each year with the help of the community’s generous in-kind donations of food, household items and clothing, as well as financial support.
Like many nonprofit organizations, SHEM is operated only through the efforts of a small, but dedicated, hard-working group of volunteers. This is the main reason that SHEM is ONLY able to accept donations when SHEM is open. Video camera surveillance recordings confirm that people are continuing to drop off donations when SHEM is not open.
When donations are left when SHEM is not open, volunteers must make a special trip to retrieve the items off the street or benches and take them inside for processing during the next regular open day. Sometimes, volunteers must make this trip several times a day after hours, even on Sundays. If the items are not picked up immediately, they are often scattered onto the sidewalk or end up littered in the street, creating an unsightly safety hazard for the general public.
Please remember that SHEM will gratefully accept donations on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Saturdays (except the second Saturday of the month) from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Thank you so much!
Cindy L. Rice
SHEM Food Pantry Manager
Sweet Home