The season of giving

Over the past five years, you have given us so much to be thankful for. And now, as the holiday season approaches, we’re asking you to give just a little bit more to benefit those in need. In conjunction with the Boston Medical Center’s Preventive Food Pantry and Demonstration Kitchen, we will be collecting canned food and other items at our final show on Dec. 18 at the Middle East Upstairs with The Luxury, Autumn Hollow Band, and Barn. It’s a great initiative, and will be spearheaded by Tara Doran.

“Hunger and malnutrition remain serious conditions for many people in Greater Boston. For young children, pregnant or nursing mothers, and the babies of malnourished women, the consequences can be particularly profound. To address the burden of hunger and malnutrition in our patient population, BMC established a new Preventive Food Pantry and Demonstration Kitchen in 2002.

The new pantry and demonstration kitchen provide culturally appropriate foods for normal and therapeutic diets and address a wide range of disorders often associated with malnutrition and hunger.

By providing food, education in nutrition, and cooking demonstrations to nearly 5,000 patients per month, BMC is able to effectively fight against the ravages of malnutrition and hunger with both preventive and therapeutic measures. Staff also enrolls eligible patients in the Food Stamps program.”

In exchange for your kindness, we will be giving away merchandise — T-shirts, CDs, you name it. You bring a food item, you’ll have your choice of stylish Cassavettes merch — it’ll be open season. Pretty cool, right?

Important to note: please do not bring sweets or sugared cereals, as these are intended to be nutritional foods to benefit those in need. So what should you bring?

Grains: (Breads, Rice, Cereal, Pasta)
* Any cold and hot non-sugared cereals
* Vanilla wafers
* All low-fat, low-sodium crackers
* Graham crackers
* Any dried pasta (spaghetti and elbows preferred) and canned pasta
* Rice (1-2 lb. bag preferred)
* Any dried beans, canned beans, baked beans
* Infant rice cereal

Fruits and Vegetables
* All canned fruits packed in juice or water
* All canned vegetables
* Dried fruits (raisins preferred)
* Tomato sauce
* Pasta sauce
* All infant strained fruits and vegetables

Meats/Meat Substitutes
* Premium chunk white canned chicken
* Canned tuna packed in water
* Canned sardines packed in water
* Peanut butter (regular and reduced-fat)
* Infant strained meat (chicken, beef, etc.)

Dairy
* Dry milk
* Parmalat milk
* Evaporated skim milk
* Evaporated regular milk
* Baby formula (Enfamil with Iron preferred)

Fats/Oils/Condiments
* Vegetable oil
* Jelly (regular and reduced-sugar)
* Spices (all varieties)

Mixed Foods
* Macaroni and cheese
* Soups (all varieties)
* Beef Stew

So, please open your hearts and your kitchen cabinets, and bring us some food for the Boston Medical Center’s patients. And, of course when it comes to canned goods, the more, the merrier. Thanks for giving back this holiday season and helping us reach out to the community. And don’t forget your free Cassavettes gear for your efforts! See you on Dec. 18 for the grand finale!