Jenkintown Food Cupboard’s Fall Fest & Food Drive coming to Baederwood Saturday

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November 7th, 2022 | By Ryan Genova

The Jenkintown Food Cupboard will host its annual Fall Fest & Food Drive on November 12 from 10:00am to 1:00pm at the Baederwood Shoppes on the Fairway in Jenkintown.

The event promises to be a good time for all ages, with activities, face painters, giveaways, and live music throughout. Storefront businesses have been invited to set up tables with free samples and merchandise for everyone in the mix.

“It’s essentially a block party,” JFC’s executive director Lino Ellis said. “This is the second year of partnering with Baederwood, and they’re going to clear out their parking lot.”

Beyond family fun and entertainment, the day serves an important purpose for the Jenkintown community. JFC will have three tables available for canned goods and donations.

“It’s giving season and we need more people than ever. Last week we did over 200 families, which broke our previous record of 180. That’s been consistent and increasing. We’ve been able to manage, but it’s really, really busy. It’s something to see,” Ellis said. “I’ve been very impressed with our team. Most of them are Jenkintown community members, so our community is stepping up to help and that’s been awesome.”

Ellis & Co sorting donations in JFC’s pantry

For the JFC, Saturday is also about getting people to meet one another to get ready for the holidays.

“We’re asking for holiday goodies, particularly Thanksgiving sides to go with the turkeys that are going to be given away next week. Bring your favorite side and donate a little bit of your home kitchen to our extended family,” Ellis said.

Ellis noted that the Cupboard plans to be an integral part of the Jenkintown Holiday Market in December, and that his recent Judge’s Choice award at Fall Jawn’s Chili Cook-off was worth the effort.

“We had a bigger turnout than I thought we were going to have, and I spent a lot of time on that chili so I’m glad that it won. Three gallons is a LOT of chili. It was an intense process, I blended my own sauce with more ingredients than I can count. It definitely wasn’t your Crockpot chili,” he said.

For updates and more information about this year’s Fall Fest & Food Drive, you can visit JFC’s Facebook page here. To learn more about JFC, you can visit their website here.