The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I’
Small parish opens food pantry for all, regardless of residency or religion
PORTLAND — On a cold, rainy Wednesday afternoon, two older men made their way to the former schoolhouse building at the rear of the Middletown-Portland Seventh-day Adventist Church on Waverly Avenue.
They had heard about Heaven’s Storehouse after a neighbor at the apartment building they live in put up a flyer about the food pantry following his visit last week, said volunteer Pat Mainetti, of Higganum.
Jeff Fine helped the gentlemen, both disabled veterans, pick out items from the rows of cold cereal, breads, organic eggs, rice, macaroni and cheese, raisins and other fruit and offered them a frozen turkey or chicken parts if they liked.
“Those were very thankful people,” said Fine, whose wife, Fiona, also volunteers at the pantry. “Those guys had tears in their eyes.”
Launched six weeks ago, Heaven’s Storehouse, open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., allows people to shop every week. The pantry draws between 10 and 15 people each time and congregants are eager to get the word out so more people in need can be helped.
They don’t need to be residents to do so, either, said pantry Director Phillip Byron.
“When you see people like that with the tears, I’ll tell you, that just melts your heart,” said Kim Anderson of East Hampton, the church’s newest member. “That is something right there. That is such a big gift.”
“Some people you can see it more in their faces,” Anderson said. “They’re very emotional about it. If you see somebody really emotional and tearing up — that whole giving part —who really was blessed here? I think I’m actually more blessed because that person was so thankful for me giving that.”
Mainetti finds her time at the pantry endlessly rewarding. Wednesday, she was acting as receptionist, showing people how to fill out a form to gain entrance. No identification is needed to shop, Byron said, and each subsequent time they visit, people simply write their names in a log.
“That’s how we can be missionaries here in our own backyard. These are the little things, just the little things that we can help with,” Mainetti said. “We can’t give them everything. We can’t pay their bills, but we can help them stay warm, we can give them something for their tummy.”
The Rev. Michael Pelletier oversees a small congregation of 15 to 20 people, who come from all over Middlesex County, as this is the only Seventh-day Adventist Church nearby. He said Connecticut has about 45 parishes.
Byron recalled a devotional he remembers reading. “‘We will always have the poor among us. We should always do what we can to help them.’”
“Everyone has their own talent that’s involved that make it all work together,” Mainetti said of her fellow volunteers.
The Pelletiers’ four children, ages 10, 12, 13 and 15, are home-schooled and were helping Wednesday, guiding people toward the items they like and showing them the various fresh produce available, like carrots, turnips, onions and potatoes.
“I see people get all happy when they get the food,” said Alan Pelletier, 13.
“Connecticut is not in good shape. They’re all losing their jobs. We have families in need and we’re here to give them food. We have it and we want to give it,” Anderson said.
“I think there will always be a basic need for people, no matter how good the economy is,” Pelletier said.
“There will always be poor,” Anderson said.
Each of these parishioners get more out of their time at the pantry than what they put in.
“It’s what God has called us to do: following the example of Jesus,” Pelletier said.
Byron started the God’s Grocery Store in Plainville at the Adventist church there. It began with about seven customers a week. Now, at 10 years in, it boasts 300 to 400 in that same timeframe. Some come every week, others once a month, said Byron, who grew up in Middletown and went to the former firstthrough eighth-grade, tworoom school where the pantry is located.
The need for food is constant, Byron said.
“I’ve seen some come from 40 minutes away to get food in Plainville. So that tells me that they’re not just coming here, they’re going to other places as well,” Byron said. “It’s not just a one-time deal once a month. If you need food every single week, come and get it.”
The Connecticut Food Bank in Wallingford supplies food. The church supplements dry goods with items like eggs, turkey and chicken, paid for with church donations.
Byron said the experience of working with people in need has transformed his personality.
“When I started in Plainville eight years ago, I was not a people person. I was shy, I didn’t want to be bothered getting to know anybody,” Byron said. “I believe I was placed there for a purpose, because as time went on, I mingled with people coming through and got to be friends with a lot of them and heard their stories.”
“It’s amazing. I went from this shy guy to getting in there, wanting to help these people. If I noticed somebody wasn’t there, I’d make a box for them and bring it to their home and drop it off,” he said.
“Our ultimate goal from a church standpoint is honestly to reflect God’s character to the world and care for his children,” Pelletier said. “As an added benefit, as you help others, the blessing really is with you — an equal or greater blessing than the people receiving it.”
“Who knows? One day I could be in this position,” Anderson said. “My husband could be in this position. We have no idea.”
Byron tells a story about a time at the Plainville pantry when a volunteer came up and said, “‘We’ve got this guy here, he’s driving a Jaguar, he’s got this suit on. And he wants to get food? Shouldn’t we be turning these people away who come in here and get food like that?’ ” she asked.
“We’re not here to judge anybody. We don’t know what happened with him that he needs to come here to get food,” Byron told her. “We have to treat everybody with the same compassion.”
As his children gathered around the space heater, Pelletier explained why he brings them along on Wednesdays.
“We felt there’s no better education than actually doing it,” he said, gesturing to his wife Elena. “If they can actually see the faces light up when they’re helping, it inspires you do more. So there’s no better community service than actually getting involved. This is actually one of the more important courses they’ll take.”
“It’s a lesson they can take when they become an adult,” said Elena Pelletier. “They will always remember this, too, and eventually inspire their children to do the same thing. Then you create a better society.”
Heavens Store House is located at 13 Waverly Ave. Access is through the building in the rear of the church. For information, call 860-712-5034.