FOOD BANK FORESEES DAYS OF DEPLETIONS.

Byline: Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writer

It's late November and the staff and volunteers at the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry are thankful for the community generosity that has stocked the shelves and freezers of its warehouse.

But the food donations won't stay there long. Soon enough, canned goods and other nonperishables will be on the dinner table of somebody in need - 2,000 of whom are fed each month by the Food Pantry.

Just days before Thanksgiving, the Food Pantry's cup runneth over, but as Turkey Day draws near, items quickly dwindle.

On Monday, volunteers stopped by Cedarcreek Elementary School in Canyon Country to pick up more than 2,100 cans and boxes of food that its 640 students had collected over the past two weeks, said Principal Mary McKeon.

``I think the whole idea is that the kids are thinking of responsibility for other people, not just themselves . . . and getting each other interested in service to the community,'' McKeon said.

Student council members, with the help of faculty advisers Diane Deily and Joni Coutin, spearheaded the drive and encouraged youngsters at the kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school to make donations. The students had the added incentive of winning an ice cream treat and a night without homework if their class collected the most food, McKeon said.

Meanwhile, in Valencia, a weekend event helped raise more than $200 in cash donations and an estimated two tons of food for the Food Pantry, said Kathy Allie, owner of Cobblestone Cottage.

The store sold thousands of the popular Beanie Babies toys to customers who added a can of food to the $5.50 purchase price, Allie said.

But not every donor cared about buying Beanie Babies, the small pellet-filled animals with the distinct character identities that are all the rage among the playground set.

``People pulled up to the curb and said: `I'm not interested in Beanie Babies, but here's some food,' '' Allie said. ``It was a wonderful day. We still have people bringing food to the store,'' she added.

``I think the people out here are really generous.''

McKeon said a group of Cedarcreek sixth-graders, making one last try to tap local residents for donations, rang doorbells in their neighborhood and collected an additional 200 cans over the weekend. They delivered the food Monday, in time for the Food Pantry's pickup later in the afternoon, the principal said.

``They were really proud that they were able to help other individuals who were in need,'' McKeon said.

The Food Pantry, established in 1986, feeds more than 2,000 people per month from the donations that fill its 10,000-square-foot warehouse in Newhall, said Carmen Mathewson, executive director of the private charity that runs with the help of 65 volunteers.