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It's Time for Peanut Butter Valentines!

Posted on: February 3, 2020 - 3:00pm
Photo of teenagers with boxes for Peanut Butter Valentines donations

As we approach Valentine’s Day, the holiday known for expressing love and appreciation for others, filled with lots of chocolate and Hallmark cards, please consider opening your hearts by giving a special “valentine” to your neighbors in the form of peanut butter or other currently dated canned goods. Throughout the month of February, the Peanut Butter Valentines food drive annually gives hundreds of canned goods to the Servant’s Heart Food Pantry in Melrose, thanks to the generosity of Melrose families and a number of Melrose High students who coordinate the citywide drive. 

Peanut Butter Valentines began years ago when Human Rights Commision member Katy Kennedy asked families to consider adding an extra jar of peanut butter to their grocery lists to donate to a local family in need. The overwhelming support of this by Melrose residents lead to the creation of the annual food drive. Peanut butter is the most requested item by food pantries nation-wide, as it is nutritious and protein-filled, and this year Servant’s Heart has also expressed a need for hot cereals, crackers like Cheez-its or Saltines, and breakfast bars. The drive also welcomes the donation of almond and sunflower butter, jelly, canned fruit and vegetables, cold cereal, beef stew, cooking oils, and condiments. 

The event takes place throughout the entire month of February, and residents can drop off food items at decorated Valentine’s boxes placed at the following sites: 

  • Melrose City Hall
  • Melrose High School
  • Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School
  • Melrose Public Library 
  • Melrose YMCA
  • Milano Senior Center
  • Northern Bank & Trust
  • Rockland Trust
  • Melrose Dance Academy 
  • Roosevelt Elementary School
  • Tramontozzi Law

Additionally, you can join Melrose High School students on February 29th between the hours of 10:00 am and 2:00 pm to make a direct donation at Shaw’s Supermarket on Essex Street. A  thank you in-advance goes out to all of the families of Melrose that will open their hearts for others in need during the next month. For more information, contact drive coordinators Lizzie Schwarze and Meagan Conlan at melrosepbv@gmail.com. Thank you!