BAPS Charities donates nearly 800 food items to Brunswick food pantry

BRUNSWICK — During its holiday food drive, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Brunswick collected 791 food items, which were donated to the Brunswick Food Pantry. A Mandir is a Hindu place of worship. BAPS Cleveland Mandir outreach volunteer Shruti Patel said the food drive was part of BAPS Charities Spirit of Service initiative, which is put on by BAPS temples nationwide. "Volunteers organize all kinds of service projects — food and clothing drives, blood donation events, health fairs, neighborhood cleanups, disaster relief and tutoring programs, just to name a few," she said. "Cleveland BAPS volunteers figure out what their neighborhoods actually need and rally the community to come together and serve those in need." Patel said the food drive is inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj who taught, "In the joy of others, lies our own." "With so many families still struggling to put food on the table, the local BAPS community saw a chance to put his teachings into practice," she said. "They wanted to support the Brunswick Food Pantry, especially during the holidays when families need help the most." Nonperishable foods like canned goods, rice, beans, cereal and peanut butter were donated to the Brunswick Food Pantry, Patel said. "BAPS is a socio-spiritual organization built on the idea that spirituality should be lived, not just practiced," she said. "At its core, BAPS is about caring for the world around us. For volunteers, service isn't just something you do. It's a responsibility and a way to build stronger, more caring communities." The Brunswick Food Pantry is a nonprofit that serves people who meet government eligibility guidelines in Brunswick, Brunswick Hills, Hinckley and Valley City. Co-director Phyllis Siedler said the organization serves approximately 175 families. The food pantry experienced about a 10 percent increase in need with the holidays and the delayed issuance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in November. "A lot of people that have come before are coming back," she said. "Maybe they haven't come for a couple months, and they're coming back now." Currently, the most needed items at the Brunswick Food Pantry are personal hygiene products, paper products, canned pasta and cake mixes, Siedler said. Small donations can be dropped off in the vestibule at Brunswick City Hall at 4095 Center Road, while those who have larger donations should call (330) 220-8299 ahead of time. "Hunger knows no time, and it's year round that we give out," she said. "A lot of the people, you understand when they come in, they need the help. They're very grateful." The pantry is located at 835 Pearl Road and is open from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Tuesday as well as from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month. For more information, visit brunswickfoodpantry.org. "My dad was a coal miner in Pennsylvania, and we got what they called surplus food through the government," Siedler said. "My husband, his father, died when he was very young, and his mother had four children, so they got the food too. It's kind of a payback because we were helped as children. We're trying to help children now." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.