Nearly 6,000 — That’s how many individual GoGo squeeZ yogurt pouches arrived on a pallet at Pantry Plus More in Westover Friday morning.
The 5,940 yogurt pouches were donated to the pantry as part of a partnership with Girls on the Run (GOTR) North Central West Virginia chapter.
Joanna Micener, executive director of the GOTR chapter, said she received an email from a GoGo squeeZ representative who offered to donate some of the yogurt for finish-line snacks at the group’s upcoming 5K celebratory event on May 28.
“I said we would love that,” Micener said. “When they asked how many we would need, I said ‘We have 312 girls, 85 coaches, and about 100 community runners, so about 500.’”
When the representative told Micener, “Well they come in pallets of 5,000,” she said she immediately thought of Pantry Plus More.
Pantry Plus More President Roark Sizemore said they were happy to receive the donation.
“They got a whole pallet to our Girls on the Run program here in Mon County,” he said. “It turns out that’s a little too much for any group to use, so they were kind enough to think of us and get it for us to use in our programs for kids and families across the county.”
The total donation consisted of 297 boxes with 20 pouches each, giving the pantry 5,500 pouches after GOTR picked up some for their finish-line snacks.
Sizemore said the majority of the yogurt will likely go to the in-school pantry and backpack programs that provide free food and meals to local students who may be food insecure at home.
“Usually this stuff is really expensive to buy and it’s stuff that kids actually like,” Sizemore said. “So whenever we have it in pantries or in the backpacks, it’s a favorite thing.”
Both organizations felt the partnership was a win-win for everyone.
“We have finish-line snacks and they have yogurt for the kids,” Micener said.
“Without things like this, without partnerships in our community,” Sizemore said, “We couldn’t do the work we do so we are so thankful to Girls on the Run for thinking of us. You know, it’s a community effort and that’s really what it takes.”
More information about the programs offered through Pantry Plus More and Girls on the Run can be found on their respective websites pantryplusmore.org and girlsontherun.org.
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