This photo from 2023 shows the Thanksgiving Food Drive collection effort underway at the Old Lyme Marketplace. LymeLine file photo.
Next Collection Day is Wednesday
OLD LYME — The Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau (LYSB), in partnership with the Old Lyme Police Department, has announced its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive to support local families in need this holiday season.
Youth volunteers, alongside officers from the Old Lyme Police Department, will be collecting food donations at the Old Lyme Marketplace on the following dates:
Wednesday, Nov. 19 — 4 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 22 — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In addition, food donations may be dropped off at the LYSB office from Nov. 17 through Nov. 21.
All food donated will be forwarded to the Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau for distribution to families in need.
Food will also be given to stock the mini-pantry at the Town of Old Lyme Social Services.
After local needs are met, all remaining food will be given to Shoreline Soup Kitchens.
LYSB invites any resident, who would like to receive Thanksgiving groceries, to make a private appointment by visiting www.lysb.org/holidaygiving or calling 860-434-7208.
This annual effort is organized by LYSB, and made possible through the generous support of several community partners including the Old Lyme Police Department, the Lyme-Old Lyme High School, Old Lyme Cub Scouts, and the Lyme-Old Lyme Girl Scouts.
Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School student Max Garvin , who proposed the idea of the Little Free Pantry, is pictured above standing in front of the newly created community asset at LYSB.
New This Year: LYSB Introduces the “Little Free Pantry”
This holiday season, LYSB has announced a new community initiative: the Little Free Pantry, available now through Dec. 25. For the next month, LYSB’s Little Free Library will be transformed into a pantry stocked with nonperishable food items for anyone in the community, who needs support.
The idea was proposed by Max Garvin, a middle school student who, together with members of LYSB’s Junior Youth Advisory Council, organized a schoolwide food drive collecting non-perishable items.
Garvin researched local food insecurity data, and shared information during morning announcements. To boost participation, students competed by homeroom—with the winning homeroom earning the chance to duct-tape the principal to the wall!
Residents are encouraged to take what they need from the pantry at any time. Those wishing to donate may leave items on the LYSB front porch at 59 Lyme Street.
A Little Free Pantry is a small, publicly accessible cabinet stocked with nonperishable food and basic necessities. Based on the “Take what you need, leave what you can” model, these pantries support neighbors facing food insecurity or unexpected hardship. They are open 24/7 and rely entirely on community generosity.
LYSB’s Little Free Pantry offers a confidential, barrier-free way for residents to access food—no paperwork, no appointments, and no questions asked.
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