The Seven Loaves Food Pantry served 47 families on Thursday, 09 May 2013. Each family received fresh new or red potatoes, selections from the personal shopping table, fresh eggs, frozen meats, peanut butter, and a number one and a number two bag for each family member. Number one bags contain canned protein and canned fruit. Number two bags contain canned vegetables or soups, dried beans, and rice or grain.

Food distributed by the Seven Loaves Food Pantry comes from the North Texas Food Bank, food collections conducted by various companies, and donations delivered to St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas. Canned proteins are currently in short supply at the Seven Loaves Food Pantry. Canned proteins include tuna, chicken, salmon, ham, etc. If you want to donate food items to Seven Loaves Food Pantry, please consider donating canned proteins. Cash donations enable the pantry to purchase food from the North Texas Food Bank at prices significantly lower than neighborhood retail grocery stores.

All donations are greatly appreciated and help people in need of good nutritional foods who cannot afford to purchase these foods. Unusual items are sometimes donated. These are placed on the personal shopping table for clients who want these items that do not fit the normal pantry distribution. All donated items are checked for safe to use date codes and counted. Two unusual items checked in on Thursday, 09 May 2013 are Turkey Bath Brine Concentrate and Haldiram’s Gulab Jamun; there was only one of each. Turkey Bath Brine Concentrate is like a marinade but faster and more effective at tenderizing and seasoning meat. Gulab Jamun is a classic Indian dessert, for all occasions including festivals or major celebrations, of soft cottage cheese dumplings with cardamom flavored sugar syrup. 

Seven Loaves Food Pantry served 41 families on Thursday, 03 January 2013. Each family made selections from the personal-shopping table, received a bag of potatoes, received peanut butter, and received frozen meats. The personal-shopping table typically includes breads, fruit juices, breakfast cereal, miscellaneous food items, and personal care products. Each family member received one number one bag of food and one number two bag of food. Each number one bag of food contained canned protein and three cans of fruit. Each number two bag of food contained four cans of vegetables or soup, a bag of dried beans, and a grain such as pasta or rice. Specific contents of the number one and two bags vary according to what is in stock in the dry room. All functions of the pantry are performed by volunteers. Volunteer functions include: Food Runner Supervisors; Food Runners; Fresh and Frozen Food Distributors; Setup and Opening Manager; Volunteer Managers; Greeter; Receptionist; Client Intake Supervisor; Client Intake Staff; Spanish Translators; Personal Shopping Supervisor, and Dry Pantry Supervisor. (I am the Dry Pantry Supervisor on most Thursdays.) The pantry is stocked through donations from individuals, donations from food drives, donations from local grocery stores, purchases from the North Texas Food Bank, and occasional purchases from Costco or equivalent business. The pantry is also open on Saturdays.