[Updated] Gifts of Love Seeking Food Donations After Water Damage

A water heater tank burst in Thai restaurant this week, leaking water into 's food pantry on the floor below and damaging some of the food.

"Fortunately it was clean water. Ceiling tiles had to be pulled down, water mopped up, carpets pulled up, fans turned on, and shelves of damaged food discarded," Lori Shield, Gifts of Love developing and marketing specialist, wrote in an email to Patch.

The Avon non-profit is seeking food donations from the public for its clients.

"Our next appointment at Foodshare is on Monday, so if the community is able to help us replenish, we would be grateful, and so would our clients," Lori Shield, Gifts of Love developing and marketing specialist, wrote in an email to Patch.

The water, which Shield said was clean, soaked boxes of pasta, macaroni and cheese, jello and pudding mix, and baking items, according to the Gifts of Love Facebook page. Gifts of Love is turning to the community with a request for donations to replace those items, as well as cake, brownie, pancake and biscuit mixes, Shield said.

Shield said that it's possible clients coming to the office for appointments on Wednesday or Friday may not have access to those "staples" until the following month.

"Our clients come to us on a monthly basis, and as a mom I know how my kids might feel if pasta or macaroni and cheese were off the menu for a month," Shield wrote. "So, this is why we like to try to keep the pantry selection as consistent as possible."

The community has come through for Gifts of Love before. During the October snowstorm, the extended power outage caused some "food spoilage" in the pantry. Gifts of Love staff threw out many perishables as a result. High school students offered to help without being asked. A local preschool also ran a meat drive after the food pantry's meat supply in the freezer ran out.

"It's been an unusual four months for the Gifts of Love food pantry!" Shield said.

After posting a request for donations on its Facebook page Tuesday, some have already answered the call for help. Staff arrived at Gifts of Love Wednesday morning to find a check taped to the door, a donation someone left after seeing the post on Facebook. Two Avon residents donated pasta to the non-profit in the morning, Shield said. Others have posted on Gift of Love's Facebook asking how to help, including one who donated online.

"We love this community, and how quickly they respond to intermittent crises," Shield said.

Editor's Note: This article was updated at 2:35 p.m. to add new information provided to Patch about the water leak and donations already made by the community to replenish the pantry's food supply.

If anything in this article needs to be corrected or you have questions, contact Avon Patch Editor Jessie Sawyer at 860-356-6339 or Jessie.Sawyer@patch.com. Join in on the Avon Patch conversation on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AvonPatch) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/AvonPatch). You can also add your own announcements and events or apply to blog on Patch.