EXTERNAL DELIVERY - ​​P.U.M.P. IT UP

The acronym P.U.M.P in this column stands for Portland – Upper Mount Bethel Food Pantry. P.U.M.P is a not for profit 501(c)3 organization. Portland and Upper Mount Bethel are two townships in the Slate Belt area in Northeast Pennsylvania. The townships are located adjacent to each other and are between Easton, PA, and Allentown, PA, in the beautiful Pocono mountains.

Let me first ask a question. Have you ever been really really hungry? I don’t mean the hunger you experience in the morning or just before dinner. I’m talking about major league hunger. I had that experience only once in my life, and it was while I was in the Army stationed in South Korea just south of the DMZ. We ran out of food while out in the field on a practice missile shoot and did not get a resupply for almost 2 days. I didn’t like that very much, and talk about being crabby! The point is, in this country, no one should have to experience that pain, especially children or the elderly.

The P.U.M.P food pantry is led by Sherman LaBarre as Chairman of the Board and is supported by several key people to include Skip Skinner whose name and contact information are at the bottom of the advertisement. Mr. LaBarre leads a group of volunteers who, every Monday, distribute the food collected the previous week from grocery stores and churches. Mr. LaBarre’s late daughter, Sherma, started the food pantry 20 years ago in a room in a local church essentially on her own. Today, the P.U.M.P Food Pantry is her legacy and continues on under her father’s leadership.

Currently, the P.U.M.P food pantry feeds more than 400 families and is continuing to grow. Growth means higher overhead costs. Higher overhead costs mean a greater need for food and financial donations. Because of this organization’s rapid growth, it was forced to lease a larger facility that increased its monthly triple net lease payments; the “past their prime time” freezers holding the food donations are working overtime and need to be replaced; the refrigerator truck used for picking up food from donors has finally given up and must be replaced.

In keeping up with the spirit and true meaning of the upcoming holiday season, Drug Development & Delivery’s founders (Publisher Ralph Vitaro and Executive Director Dan Marino) have generously donated money, advertising, and this editorial space to remind its readers to step back every so often and remember there are people in need right here in this very country. So I am asking all of you to please support P.U.M.P. Hunger does not recognize state borders, so, even though you or your company are not located in Pennsylvania, your personal or corporate donation is still greatly appreciated and will help tremendously. Call us today!

Please keep in mind that all donations whether company or personal, are tax deductible being that P.U.M.P is a not for profit 501(c)3 organization.

PORTLAND-UPPER MOUNT BETHEL FOOD PANTRY, INC.
P.O. BOX 69 (mailing address)
111 State Street (physical address)
Portland, PA 18351

Chairman of the Board
Sherman LaBarre (570) 656-2967

Volunteers
Skip Skinner (610) 216-9800
John Bermingham (973) 452-5102

John A. Bermingham is former Executive Vice President & COO of 1st Light Energy & Conservation Lighting, Inc. and former Co-President and COO of AgraTech, a biotech enterprise. He was also President & CEO of Cord Crafts, LLC; President & CEO of Alco Consumer Products, Inc., Lang Holdings, Inc., and President, Chairman, and CEO of Ampad, all of which he turned around and successfully sold. With more than 20 years of turnaround experience, he also held the positions of Chairman, President, and CEO of Centis, Inc., Smith Corona, Corporation, and Rolodex Corporation as well as turning around several business units of AT&T Consumer Products Group and served as the EVP of the Electronics Group, and President of the Magnetic Products Group, Sony Corporation of America.