For nearly 5 years ACAN has been participating in Harundale’s pop-up giveaway on Saturdays.
At the Harundale pop-up giveaway, neighbors can walk up to the weekly event and get access to
a hot breakfast and coffee, pop-up pantries, donated clothing, and other rotating services like pet
food, toiletries and haircuts. For ACAN, Harundale provides an opportunity to serve the wider
community and reach neighbors who may not have a vehicle. Each weekend, ACAN serves
about 150 households. It also provides a chance for us to make sure no food rescue goes to
waste. ACAN’s food pantry is open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but food rescues
continue throughout the week.
The food that ACAN rescues Thursday, Friday, and even Saturday
morning, food that may not maintain its freshness if we waited to distribute it until we reopened
on Monday, is distributed to our neighbors at Harundale. Though inventory is rolling, we often
provide deli foods, sandwiches, bread, other baked goods, produce, dairy products, and canned
goods on a weekly basis. ACAN often partners with other organizations to maximize our impact
in the community. Although ACAN is a food pantry, we often receive non-food donations like
new and used clothing and shoes. While we don’t have the capacity to distribute such items
alongside our food distribution, there are other organizations that participate in the Harundale
pop-up giveaway that do. We happily pass those items onto that organization to distribute to our
neighbors whenever we receive them. If you’re looking for ways to support ACAN through our
Harundale pop-up pantry, there are several ways to help! As we enter into what is predicted to be
another record-setting summer, our volunteers would love to have one or two canopy tents, to
help shield them from the sun, and two 6ft folding tables. You could also donate directly through
ACAN’s PayPal, be sure to note that your donation is specifically for our Harundale pop-up
pantry.
