Julienne Tomatoes partners with Northmen Den for food drive to fill youth pantries

Karly Graham, The Petoskey News-Review
·2 min read
Julienne Tomatoes will be hosting a food drive in partnership with the Northmen Den for the month of March.
Julienne Tomatoes will be hosting a food drive in partnership with the Northmen Den for the month of March.

PETOSKEY — For the month of march, Julienne Tomatoes is partnering with Northmen Den for the “Give a Kid A Chance” food drive.

Through March, Julienne Tomatoes is sponsoring a food drive to help stock youth pantry shelves in Emmet County for the school year. Pantries support Harbor Springs, Petoskey, Pellston and Alanson families.

Julie Adams, owner of Julienne’s Tomatoes, said so far, the store has donated 10 large boxes, which she estimated to be able to hold about 40 pounds each, in food to the pantry. They’ve also donated $180 in cash and $50 in gift cards.

Adams said participating in this drive is important to her because of “how troubled life is for our kids.” She said that the shooting at Michigan State left her with a “bit of a helpless feeling” and she wanted to give back.

“It really felt like we needed to start somewhere, and we had to do something, because doing nothing just doesn't seem like an option,” she said.

She said that even though the conditions for why they have to be giving back can be sad, she’s happy to see the community coming together to help the food pantry.

She said this is particularly important to her because she knows how important it is for kids to be fed.

“If kids in our own community aren't eating properly, they're not learning properly,” she said. “They can't concentrate. To me, it's all a part of the equation.”

The Northmen Den pantry has been mostly cleared out, Adams said, so they are looking for any and all basics, ranging from laundry detergent to Kraft mac and cheese.

The pantry is looking for:

  • Knorr pasta and rice sides;

  • Small and regular-size cans of vegetables;

  • Kraft mac & cheese, Chef Boy R Dee ravioli, Spaghetti-Os, spaghetti sauce, pasta, canned beef, chicken and tuna;

  • Single cereal bowls and boxes;

  • Hormel corned beef hash, chili with no beans, SPAM;

  • Apple juice, orange juice, Horizon boxed milk, and peanut-free Belvita breakfast bars; and

  • Toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash, shampoo and deodorant.

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The store is also collecting cash and gift card donations for the pantry.

“I just think it's really important for people to remember that … a little effort by many people makes a huge difference,” Adams said. "I just think that it’s very important for all the people that are up here, and everybody that loves this area, and all the support that our nonprofits and sports and everybody gets, this should be one on the top.”

— Contact education reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at@KarlyGrahamJRN.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Julienne Tomatoes partners with Northmen Den for food drive