United Way Volunteers Help Norwood Food Pantry

On Monday, 16 employees from the Instron Corporation office in Norwood rolled up their sleeves to take part in a United Way of Tri-County Day of Caring.

The volunteers donated their time and energy at the United Way supported Ecumenical Community Food Pantry of Norwood, a local food pantry that serves needy families in Norwood and Westwood.

The volunteers spent their morning sorting food donations that were collected by the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger campaign. Stamp Out Hunger is an annual food drive coordinated by letter carriers across the U.S. and distributed to local food pantries. Last year the Ecumenical Community Food Pantry received over 20,000 pounds of donations that were distributed to the communities of Norwood and Westwood.

Ruth Taeger, Executive Director of the Ecumenical Community Food Pantry, said she was pleased to have the volunteers.

“The support of the United Way and the volunteers they provide are essential for our food pantry," Taeger said. "This group from Instron was able to sort the donations in a record 2.5 hours, a feat we have never seen before.”

Instron was just as enthusiastic about the day.

“We were pleased to have participated in a United Way Day of Caring,” said Leslie Dixon, a Senior Account Representative at Instron. “Our crew enjoyed sorting and distributing the donations.  Many hands make quick work!”

The United Way of Tri-County is a community building organization that brings people together to care for one another by raising funds, connecting volunteers, strengthening agencies, teaching social responsibility and on the whole, trying to meet the critical needs of the community.

Instron is a leading provider of test equipment for the material and structural testing markets. A global company providing single-source convenience, Instron manufactures and services products used to test the mechanical properties and performances of various materials, components and structures in a wide array of environments.