Food Pantry Donations
Non-perishable food is always needed and welcomed in our Food Pantry. Feel free to come by with any non-perishable items during our open hours or by special arrangement.
Food Pantry Donation Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30am to 4pm
Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30am to 7:00pm
3rd Saturday of the month 9am to 12pm
Most-Wanted Food Items:
- SNACKS: granola bars, applesauce, crackers, snack mixes, juice boxes, etc.
- CANS:
- Pop-top cans that do not require can-openers
- Canned protein and soups (tuna, chicken, beef stew, chicken noodle soup, vegetarian soups, Chef Boyardee, etc.)
- Canned fruits/vegetables (low-sugar and low-sodium preferred)
- GRAINS: pasta, oats, rice, cereal, gluten-free alternatives, etc.
- MULTICULTURAL FOODS: rice noodles, pigeon peas (gandules), lentils, corn flour (masa/maseca), etc.
- MISC. GOODS: coffee, tea, honey, cooking oil, nuts, cookies, crackers, etc.
Items for the Holiday Season (November-December)
- Stuffing (including gluten-free alternatives)
- CANS: cranberry sauce, green beans, yams, pumpkin, cream of mushroom soup, corn, evaporated/ condensed milk, etc.)
- Boxed mashed potatoes
- Gravy
- Chicken/beef/vegetable stocks
- Baking mixes (cakes, dessert breads, muffins, brownies, etc.)
Kitchen Donations
The Amherst Survival Center welcomes your donations of food for our kitchen.
If you are interested in donating non-perishable food to the kitchen, we accept the following unexpired, unopened items:
- olive oil
- bottled salad dressings
- jam/jelly
- salt/pepper
Personal Care Items
The Food Pantry also distributes personal care items. You can bring unopened/unused personal care items to the Center, and the Pantry will distribute them along with monthly groceries. Unused travel size items are also welcome. Please drop off during any of the Food Pantry donation hours listed.
Most-Wanted Personal Care Items:
- DENTAL: toothbrushes, toothpaste, and floss
- BATH AND BODY: shampoo/conditioner, bar soap, hand soap, body wash, shaving cream, razors
- Menstrual pads
- Diapers and pull-ups (all sizes welcome but we most often need sizes 4 and up)
- Incontinence briefs for adults (pull-on brief style, not with side tabs)
We appreciate your thoughtful donations! If you are interested in receiving a donation receipt, please let a staff member know when you are dropping off your donation.
Want to organize a community food drive?
Please let us know if you’re organizing (or would like to organize) a Food Drive! Contact the Food Pantry, pantry@amherstsurvival.org, (413) 549 – 3968 x104. We can put it on our calendar (so we can plan for it) and offer additional support! See the the lists above for most wanted food items and personal care items.
Neighborhood Food Project
The Neighborhood Food Project is an innovative food collection program. Neighborhood Coordinators recruit teams of their neighbors to make a regular donation to the Amherst Survival Center food pantry 6 times per year. Food donors assemble their donated goods and leave them on their stoop, and Neighborhood Coordinators pick them up and deliver them to the Amherst Survival Center where they go straight to our shelves and then to families in need.
