A South Jersey community quickly stepped up to help after a Gloucester County food pantry issued an urgent plea for donations when its shelves ran nearly empty. Angels Community Outreach in Pitman was forced to cancel 43 appointments on Wednesday, July 22 because there was not enough food to serv e families in need. Within hours of co-founder Elissa Darrow sharing a heartfelt message on social media, donations began pouring in from across the area. Lindsey Delia was among the many people who arrived with bags of groceries after seeing the post. “When our administrator saw it, he said, ‘We absolutely have to do something.’ So, we went to Target and we made a really wonderful donation,” Delia said. Darrow said having to turn people away was heartbreaking. “It’s a good feeling to be able to help but it hurts, hurts your heart when you can’t, you know, when you have to say no,” Darrow said. The pantry allows visitors to choose the food their families need but limited supplies have forced difficult decisions. “We used to give canned tomatoes and pasta sauce. Now it’s either or,” Darrow explained. Darrow said growing financial struggles are driving more families to seek assistance, even as donations have declined. “I think with the economy, so many families are struggling. The middle class isn’t the middle class anymore. They need help. People that used to donate to us are now coming and asking for help,” Darrow said. “We’re here to help.” By mid-afternoon, the response had transformed the pantry. Donations filled the shelves, allowing the nonprofit to begin rescheduling the 43 canceled appointments. “I can’t keep up with it, it’s amazing. It’s amazing. I’m so grateful,” Darrow said. While the donations have replenished supplies for now, Angels Community Outreach says it continues to need food donations to meet the ongoing demand. Information on how to help is available by clicking here. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less