Center for Hope Food Drive

Support a local food pantry this holiday season!

This year, The Lindsay is collecting nonperishables for the food pantry at The Center for Hope, an Ambridge nonprofit that has been meeting growing demands. Through New Year’s Eve, The Lindsay will gather food donations.

“Theater patrons have been immensely generous with the food drives we’ve held in the past,” says Lindsay CEO Carolina Pais-Barreto Thor. “Center for Hope has been a long-time partner of the Theater, and we want to step up during this time of scarcity.”

The Center for Hope welcomes donations of any non-expired, nonperishable foods. Director Sue Otto suggests: cereal, macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, canned tuna and chicken, and saltine or oyster crackers for soup. However, they would be grateful for “pretty much anything off the grocery shelves.”

Contributions can be dropped off when you come to watch films at the Theater during its operating hours through the week and on weekends, which are 30 minutes before the day’s shows begin through when the last show is seated. Alternatively, bring a few cans and boxes when you watch Nuremberg this weekend—or later, when you visit us to check out Wicked: For Good, Zootopia 2, Holiday Classics or any films in our lineup.

Demand at the Center is “through the roof,” with 1,100 people served in October alone, says Otto, director since 2007. She has seen many new faces at the Center this fall, including military, federal workers and senior citizens.

Not only are some out of work, “it’s also at a time when people are getting slammed with higher prices on everything. They’re crying, desperate on the phone and I tell them, ‘Hey, we’re here for you.’ We’re open to everyone.”

In addition to the food pantry, the Center supplies Hungry Kids Snack Bags to children in the food pantry and families requesting the extra help through Ambridge Area School District, providing 3,600 snack bags in October to help fill young bellies over the weekend, when school meals are not available.