Pantry coordinators Maureen and Janie recently shared this wonderful story:

“The pantry had closed for the day, and the last of our volunteers were leaving the building when an SUV pulled quickly into our drive-through. Volunteers thought it was a neighbor arriving late to pick up food. Then the woman driving said, ‘Are you still open? Is this where we drop donations?’

Clara Henderson, retail operations manager at the nearby Kroger Technology Center, said she was there with a delivery. And what a delivery it was! Her SUV was jam-packed with laundry detergent, shampoo, deodorant, feminine hygiene supplies, and non-perishable food.

Ms. Henderson and her colleague, Caitlin Moore, a loss prevention analyst, explained that their Kroger team had met and decided not to celebrate their own work, but to give a gift to the community. They looked up food pantries located in the area and found NEEDS. Rather than just donate random items, they checked our ‘Most Needed’ list to provide us with exactly what we requested.

Kroger’s local Montgomery store also gives to NEEDS every Sunday — donating produce, bakery, deli items, and meat.

Thank you, Kroger, for all you do for NEEDS!”