For her wedding gifts, Sherry Saben wants toothbrushes, laundry soap, canned goods and other assorted non-perishable foods and personal items.

A case of canned green beans would do the trick, too.

Saben, 53, who marries Darryl Wolford, 54, today at Emerson Park, requested that guests bring such items in lieu of traditional gifts so that she and her fiance can give to the community.

Donations have been filling up the living room of her Cato home.

Saben and Wolford came upon the idea as they thought about how they could give back to the community. Plus, they don't need waffle irons, cheese boards or other typical wedding gifts.

"We're combining two households," Saben explained. "We're going to have an auction at one point."

As a single mother, Saben had used a food pantry earlier in her life, so "I'm aware of the need," she said.

The couple will have two pickup trucks available to deliver the food to pantries in Cato and Weedsport.

"I think it's a great idea," said Harry Breese of the Cato Christian Food Pantry, based at Cato Union Church. The pantry is open the third and fourth Thursdays of the month, and served 400 families last year.

"It helps fill our shelves," Breese said. "It really helps."

Saben said her invited guests - about 400 of them - gave her idea a warm reception, though some are a bit confused.

"Many people are very pleased, though it's very strange to them," she said. "Many people want to bring a present."