MLK Pantry Still Accepting Thanksgiving Staples for Holiday Baskets

With just over a week until Thanksgiving, the is filled with donations.

The center is “in pretty good shape” when it comes to donations for Thanksgiving despite the high demand, said executive assistant Alyson Novick. While not short on supply, Novick said they can never have too many donations.

“Christmas is a different story,” she said.

The hallway of the community center is lined with shopping carts full of sacks of potatoes, while an entire room is covered with bags prepped for one of the biggest meals of the year. The center makes sure to provide vegetables, carbs and proteins to make each basket a balanced meal.

If not enough turkeys are donated to meet their needs, families will be given a gift card to a local grocery store to purchase one.

“We include enough for Thanksgiving and then some to make it through the long weekend,” Novick said. Families not only come from Newport, but Middletown, Portsmouth and Tiverton.

St. Georges School brought in about 6,000 items as a result of a successful food drive, while other local churches and businesses have also helped with the collection, she said. , Custom House Coffee, and also donate day-old items to keep the pantry stocked. 

Stuffing, instant potatoes, gravy, canned yams, and other canned items are what the MLK Center is still most in need of.

While Novick said she is grateful for the outpouring of community support and holiday spirit, she said she wished the center would see the generosity year-round.

“People are hungry all year,” she said.

To make a donation, stop by Martin Luther King Community Center. If you would like to make donations after hours, Novick said she can easily set up an appointment to accommodate it.

Novick also praised the who help organize, catalogue and put together the Thanksgiving baskets. 

The following pantries in Newport are also accepting donations: