Rotary gives more than $1,000 to food pantry

MIDDLETOWN — The Rotary Club of Middletown recently made a $1,050 contribution to the St. Vincent De Paul Middletown Amazing Grace Food Pantry to assist those in need of food during the pandemic.

The club has been supportive of the food pantry and soup kitchen for years, but recognized the need for increased support due to unprecedented challenges presented by the pandemic, according to a press release.

“This spring has been especially difficult for those who have lost jobs due to virus-related business closures, for those with health issues who can no longer head to a grocery store safely, and for hundreds more who find themselves in need of our support — your support,” Maryellen Shuckerow, executive director of St. Vincent De Paul Middletown, said in a prepared statement.

While the 40-year-old mission of Amazing Grace remains the same — to feed the hungry in the Middletown community — the way in which it operates has changed, the release said. Volunteers have switched from escorting guests through the pantry to packing boxes with fresh, healthy food that people can pick up easily out front under a tent.

This keeps volunteers safe while increasing capacity needed to meet current needs.

In March, the pantry partnered with the Middletown Senior Center to feed older area residents, who, for health or other reasons, need to stay home, the release continued. Over 130 seniors have taken advantage of this biweekly home food delivery program at no cost.

“We are absolutely convinced that this program has saved lives by keeping people out of public transportation and grocery stores,” Shuckerow said in her statement, adding that “another 200 or so families are also receiving home-delivered groceries due to immune deficiencies, disabilities and other health conditions which put them at high risk.”

Cheryl Duey, co-president of the Middletown Rotary Club, presented the check.

“We are proud to join local churches, companies, service providers and individual volunteers to help meet this most basic need in our community. Although the demand for service has increased by over 100 percent, Amazing Grace has been able to assist the most vulnerable among us without increasing staff or overhead because of volunteers and financial support from community leaders,” Duey said.

To volunteer or contribute to the food pantry, call 860347-3222.