Melrose High students kick off Peanut Butter Valentine drive
Melrose High School students Lucy Naslas, James Wilson, Anna Tramontozzi, Devin McCall, and Lauren Dick (not pictured, Emma Svoboda) decorated collection boxes for the annual Peanut Butter Valentine drive.
Out shopping for valentines one February, former Melrose resident Katy Kennedy had an idea. For the price of a few $5 valentines, she could donate several jars of peanut butter to her local food pantry.
Five years later, Kennedy no longer lives in Melrose, but her Peanut Butter Valentine charity drive continues to bring residents together to fight hunger during the harsh winter months. A Servant's Heart Food Pantry, housed within the Faith Evangelical Church on Franklin Street, runs the drive every year during the month of February.
Starting today, residents are encouraged to donate jars of peanut butter (or jelly) at collection boxes located at Melrose City Hall, Melrose Public Library, Milano Senior Center, Roosevelt Elementary School, Melrose Rotary Club, and the Most Blessed Sacrament Parish in Wakefield. The drive runs through Feb. 28.
In its first year, the Peanut Butter Valentine collection delivered over 1,000 jars to A Servant's Heart, according to the pantry's coordinator Joan Dean. In the past few years, donations have hovered around 600.
“Whatever we get we're happy with,” Dean said. “It's been a big success.”
The pantry has seen an increase in visitors this year, with 210 families currently relying on its food supply compared to 180 last year. Peanut butter is one of the most requested items at the pantry because of its nutritional value and versatility, Dean said. It also stores well, making it an ideal product for the monthlong drive.
This year, a group of Melrose High School students led by sophomore Anna Tramontozzi has taken over the event and added a collection box at Roosevelt Elementary for the entire month of February. Tramontozzi, who lives close to A Servant's Heart, said the group is looking to increase awareness of the drive through flyers and visits to schools. She's also encouraging fellow high school students who need community service credits to get involved.
“I think they'll realize that it's actually very fulfilling and doesn't take up that much time,” she said of the drive.
To Dean, the help goes a long way.
“I don't have time to go to the schools,” she said. “I was absolutely thrilled when Anna said [she would take over].”
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