SANATOGA PA – The envelope found Monday afternoon (Feb. 27, 2012), taped to an office door on North Sanatoga Road, was hand-labeled. “Sanatoga Post,” it said, in neat block letters. Inside it carried a crisp, new $50 bill, and a note that demanded: “Buy as much as this will pay for.”

That contribution marked the official start, for The Post Publications at least, of the “Fill The Media Lab” campaign to collect 20,000 food items that will be donated by April 7 (2012) to non-profit pantries across western Montgomery, eastern Berks and northern Chester counties. The Posts are among many members of The (Pottstown PA) Mercury Town Square community media lab that have agreed to join the food-raising effort.

The campaign launched Monday morning with announcements in The Mercury, here, and The Sanatoga Post, here.

The blogging group’s intent is simple. It recognizes more people than ever rely on area pantries to help put food on their tables. It acknowledges the pantries have a tough time keeping up with the demand. It knows that readers of local blogs and online news have stepped up in the past to help their neighbors and, if given good reason, likely will do so again.

So media lab authors, inspired by an idea from Mercury Reporter Brandie Kessler, are presenting the best reason they can think of: helping to stock the pantries will keep a young child, or an elderly couple, or a single mom, or a family of four whose sole wage-earner works only part-time, from going hungry.

The Posts and other sites are asking their readers:

1. To buy food items during upcoming grocery store visits, and set them aside for the media lab campaign.
2. When they’ve got the time, between now and April 7, drop items off at The Mercury, Hanover and King Streets, Pottstown PA, or at other sites as they are identified; OR
3. If you’ve collected a dozen or more items, bag or box them and call Post Managing Editor Joe Zlomek at 610-970-1492. Leave your name, address, and phone number, and a message to let him know how many items are ready. Zlomek will make arrangements to have the donated items picked up.

The Post’s donor’s signed the note that accompanied her cash, but asked to remain anonymous. She also insisted that purchases of food with her money be made from local markets: Sanatoga Thriftway on East High Street, Aldi’s on Armand Hammer Boulevard, and Redner’s Warehouse Market on North Charlotte Street, all within Lower Pottsgrove. “Let’s keep it in town,” she wrote.

What the lady wants, we promise the lady will get.

Related:

• Good Thing, Small Package: Food Drive Gets $50 Start (Sanatoga Post)
• Posts, Mercury, Bloggers Unite To Fight Local Hunger (Sanatoga Post)
• Join our challenge to ‘fill the Media Lab’ and help local food pantries (The Mercury)