Three Panther Valley area food pantries were recipients of donations of $1,000 each from the Bo Tkach Under the Helmet and Hat Foundation during a brief session at the Summit Hill Borough building on Tuesday night.

Representatives of the Summit Hill, Lansford and Nesquehoning pantries were on hand to receive the checks from Billy O’Gurek Jr. and Abbie Guardiani, members of the foundation’s board of directors.

The $3,000 in donations will be followed by similar donations the foundation plans to make to food banks in Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Palmerton, Slatington and Tamaqua, the representatives said.

In 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation made donations of $2,000 to each of the eight pantries.

Accepting the checks were Paula Anthony, Rich Willing and John Williams, representatives of the Nesquehoning, Lansford and Summit Hill pantries, respectively.

Guardiani pointed out, “When you look at the Bo Tkach Foundation, our mission is to promote mental health wellness. When our board met recently, we discussed helping food banks, because if a person can’t afford to put food on their tables, it affects their mental well-being.”

O’Gurek said the donations are a continuation of the foundation’s role in “helping families to live healthier and happier lives,” adding, “We’re happy to play a small role in making a difference in people’s lives and the $8,000 we will be donating in the next week or two, hopefully, will help those less fortunate to receive assistance through the food banks and lessen the stress in their lives.”

The three pantry representatives, meanwhile, said their organizations are appreciative of the funding that will help replenish food for the shelves of their pantry.

Anthony said, “I find that a lot of people are embarrassed when seeking assistance, but they shouldn’t be. That’s why we’re here.”

To which Guardiani added the foundation, like pantry organizers, share the common cause of assisting others. She said, “We in the foundation want to help people physically, mentally, as well as their spiritual well-being, and we’re happy to join the pantry organizers in making a difference in people’s lives.”

The Lansford pantry is open on the third Monday of each month from 7:30 a.m. to noon an Trinity Lutheran Church; the Nesquehoning pantry serves people on the third Thursday of each month from 1-3:30 p.m. at Meeds United Methodist Church; and the Summit Hill pantry is available to the public on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon at the Summit Hill Heritage Center.