Some gifts are priceless

Alaina and Emma drop off food for the pantry

When Anna Jackson was planning her 7th birthday party, she didn’t want her friends to bring gifts. Volunteering with her mother, Lori, at the Immaculate Conception Church food pantry in the past, she was already aware at the tender age of 6 that there are people who don’t have enough food at home.
So instead of gifts, she asked her friends to make a donation to a food pantry. That’s how Alaina Stachnik and her daughter, Emma, 5, came to bring a donation of food to the Father Fred Food Pantry recently. Alaina’s older daughter, Annabella, was invited to Anna’s party and so while Annabella was at school, Alaina and her other daughter brought food, along with a camera to take pictures and a birthday card for the volunteers and staff at Father Fred to sign. The pictures were going to go with the card to be given to Anna at her party. Other friends made similar donations or brought food directly to the party.
Lori Jackson said foregoing presents wasn’t a hard decision for Anna to make.
“She was so on board with it,” Lori said. “She loves to go with me to volunteer at the Immaculate Conception food pantry, and she’s a good little worker.
“She fills orders with me and sees orders filled. We always talk about people in need.”