Family aims to donate 500 jars of peanut butter

Aug 19, 2015

Inspiration can strike a person at any time. For Ken Metivier, it came while making some peanut butter sandwiches.

"I was looking at the jar peanut butter, and it said something about an organization called 'Feed America'," Metivier said. "I went online, and it said a jar would feed a kid for five days."

That's how Metiver decided that he and his family would gather 500 jars of peanut butter for Damien's Food Pantry in East Wareham.

Metivier's mother, Marie Auld died in 2011 at the age of 66 after a 28-year fight with lung cancer. Every year since, her family members have collected money and donated to a nearby organization that was close to her heart. Last year, they donated $600 to Tobey Hospital. The year before that, her family paid for a bench in a butterfly garden in Deerfield.

The family holds a cancer walk a week or two after Labor Day every year. They charge nothing for the walk, but put out a bucket for donations.

"We wanted to do Damien's, because it's a local place," Metivier said. "The people there seem really excited. They said 500 jars is normally what they would get in an entire year."

Metivier and his family have been collecting jars for just over a month, and already have more than 100 jars. Metivier said he and his family have spread the word through social media and word of mouth. He said after announcing the family would be collecting peanut butter jars, 16 jars ended up on his front porch one day.

Anyone interested in donating can reach Metivier at 508-816-9393, his sister Megan Greene at 508-889-5923, or his sister Kristen Murphy at 508-291-5022.

He said they plan to donate the jars at some point shortly after their Labor Day cancer walk.