LOGAN — Thanksgiving is around the corner and there are many who may not have turkey on their table without the help of the Cache Community Food Pantry.
The pantry, located at 359 S. Main St. in Logan, is asking the community to help provide Thanksgiving meals for approximately 3,000 people in Cache Valley and surrounding areas.
A volunteer stocks shelves at the Cache Communty Food Pantry in Logan.
The pantry currently has 132 turkeys but needs about 3,000 to meet the demand for Thanksgiving, along with potatoes and other traditional holiday meal trimmings.
“We are desperate for turkeys and the trimmings that go with Thanksgiving dinner,” said Matt Whitaker, executive director of the Cache Food Pantry.
The pantry will accept any food items that can be used to prepare a Thanksgiving meal. Donors can also contribute money, allowing the pantry to purchase food on behalf of families.
“We can either take donated food, or we can do the shopping for them,” Whitaker said. “We can buy more with donations than people can because of the discounts we can get.”
While turkeys are the primary need, Whitaker said some families prefer ham, making those donations welcome as well.
A file photo of a bin full of canned goods at the Cache Community Food Pantry.
“Right on the heels of Thanksgiving, we will need hams for Christmas,” he said. “This is a busy time of year for us.”
Whitaker, who has served as executive director for 24 years, said the pantry is seeing some encouraging signs in its efforts to address food insecurity throughout Cache Valley and surrounding communities.
“The good news is we are not growing in leaps and bounds like we have been,” he said. “We are seeing people leave the program. That is a good sign we are doing things right.”
The pantry encourages businesses and individuals considering charitable contributions for tax purposes to make donations before the end of the year.
Whitaker said he appreciates the generosity of community members who step forward whenever there is a need.
The Cache Community Food Pantry officially opened in 1993, although its services began informally in 1972. It continues to serve individuals and families facing food insecurity throughout the region.