The Masonic lodges in East Lyme, Brainard Lodge #102, Bay View Lodge #120 , and Union Lodge #31, are sponsoring a food drive on Saturday, Oct. 23, from 9-1 at the Bay View Masonic Temple on Society Road in Niantic to benefit the East Lyme Food Pantry.

Masons will be there to help with your donations. You do not have to get out of your car. Peanut Butter, cereal, pasta sauces, pasta, canned vegetables, tuna or any non-perishable item is welcome. This time of year cranberry sauce, stuffing, canned sweet potatoes, grocery store gift cards and monetary donations (made out to SSKP-EL Pantry) are welcome. No expired food will be accepted.

The East Lyme Food Pantry has been serving guests in East Lyme since 2009, but never has it seen the number of families requiring help since March 2020 when everything shut down because of COVID. The pantry has not missed a week since that shutdown and many weeks served over 200 families. The numbers have leveled off now and are usually between 90 and 100 families per week.

The EL Food Pantry is part of Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries, which serves people from East Lyme west to Madison and north to Killingworth and Chester. During the pandemic no one had to show residency and many families came from New London, Waterford, Norwich and Groton to get food.

The pantry is housed in St. John’s Episcopal Church in Niantic. The drive-by is open from 2:30-4:30 p.m. every Thursday. If you cannot make the food drive on the 23rd, donations are accepted on Thursday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the back parking lot of St. John’s, 400 Main St., Niantic.

Sherrie Weiss, the pantry director, organizes the pantry with the help of countless local volunteers. If you have any questions, Sherrie can be reached at (203) 300-6712.