Donated cleaning supplies help neighbors in need

Feed the Family Pantry is collecting and distributing donated cleaning supplies. (photo by Nick Youngson, courtesy of Alpha Stock Images via Creative Commons)

An organization that distributes cleaning supplies and fresh produce each week in Van Ness had volunteers at the Cathedral Commons Giant Friday, November 19th through Sunday the 21st for a cleaning supply donation drive.

Their usual spot is behind the former Van Ness Walgreens (4225 Connecticut Avenue), where the Feed the Family Pantry collects donated cleaning supplies from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and distributes the items on Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. (The pantry will be closed the Sunday after Thanksgiving.)

Barbara Anne Ferris, a co-founder of Feed the Family Pantry, tells us the donated cleaning supplies go directly to the pantry. What they need are anything you would use to clean your own home, including laundry detergent, dryer sheets, dish soap, sponges, baking soda, white vinegar, bleach, toilet bowl cleaner and cleansers including Soft Scrub, Windex, Pine-sol, Lysol and Fabulosa. Toilet paper and paper towels are also welcome. All items should be in unopened packaging.

Feed the Family Pantry is a project of the International Women’s Democracy Center, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization established in 1995. It was launched last spring in a collaboration with Ward 3 Mutual Aid. Volunteer Judith Ingram told us at the time that cleaning supplies take “a surprisingly large bite out of family budgets,” and food-focused pantries don’t always provide them.