Food Distribution Statistics

*  Every year, approximately 5,500 Pantry shopping carts full of food are loaded into Shoppers’ cars, bicycle baskets, and pull-along wagons.

*  On average, each Pantry shopping cart loaded with groceries provides 5 day’s worth of food, consisting of three daily meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). This is 15 table settings of meals. 

*  The 5,500 shopping carts provide approximately 82,500 table settings of meals.  [ 5,500 shopping carts X 15 table settings of meals per cart = 82,500 table settings of meals ]

*  The number of family members served per shopping cart is 3.25 on average. 

*   Approximately 268,125 plates of food are served from the shopping carts of groceries provided by the Pantry. 

[ 82,500 table settings of meals  X 3.25 family members eating the meals = 268,125 plates of food ]

The Slogan of the Salem Community Pantry is “Helping Salem Set the Table.”  This year the Salem Pantry will set the table approximately 82,500 times, with over 268,000 plates of food  on the tables of children, adults, and seniors, who otherwise may not have had a meal to eat that day in Salem.