Food pantry demand remains high
Donations also up, but volunteer numbers down due to safety concerns
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a financial toll on the lives of many Montgomery County residents, area food pantries have picked up the slack, providing for those in need.
“It hasn’t been easy, but we have a strong team first of all, and we have an incredibly supportive community,” said Vince Caperelli, development director for Manna on Main Street, in Lansdale.
Caperelli said the food pantry based at 606 Main St. saw “the numbers increase over time.”
While he said he believes the figures have “plateaued,” the food pantry has seen about two-tothree-times “our pre-pandemic volume” with people consuming groceries and to-go meals.
He estimated that the organization’s plateau happened at the end of April, with the increased patronage happening in mid-March, within the first four to six weeks of the pandemic’s arrival in Montgomery County.
“We didn’t really know what to expect, of course. It did not surprise us. It also wouldn’t have sur
prised us if the community need would have been even greater,” Caperelli said.
Christine Bouley, executive director of Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard at 150 N. Main St. in Ambler, said the food pantry “saw a huge increase,” with “around 25 new families” seeking assistance over the past few months.
“We definitely were giving out a lot more food or seeing a lot more new families in the beginning of the virus,” Bouley said.
She added the cupboard’s North Hills location, located at the North Hills Community Center has seen the number of recipients nearly tripled. Bouley praised the efforts of the parishioners of the Jarretown United Methodist Church, who run the center.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous health and safety concerns, causing fewer volunteers to the nonprofits.
“It’s tough in some respects because we have a lot of volunteers that can’t come in and we miss our volunteers a lot,” Bouley said. “We’re like a little family here.”
Despite these obstacles, other organizations have still been able to maintain strong numbers.
“As some volunteers have chosen to stay home for their own safety, which we support and understand, we’ve been able to have a lot of new volunteers express interest in supporting us and we’ve been able to utilize their help as well.”
LeeAnn Rooney, executive director of the Patrician Society in Norristown, shared a similar experience overseeing the food pantry at 121 E. Chestnut St.
“The Patrician Society Food Cupboard is still here with our seasoned crew and new volunteers keeping up with the increased need created by COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
“I think that safety and precautions [are] just going to be part of our lives now. I don’t see that changing anytime soon,” Bouley said.
“I think that the majority of our public is still pretty scared of most things, which is to be understood. So we are continuing to protect everyone here.”
Bouley said that means requiring patrons and staff to adhere to social distancing guidelines, wear masks and limiting overall capacity within the community cupboard.
Caperelli said the Lansdale-based organization has modified several aspects of their business model to comply with state mandated regulations.
In lieu of a sit-down experience, the food pantry offers to-go meals and prepackaged grocery bags.
The organization revised the layout of the North Penn Commons lobby to enhance “wayfinding” abilities, Caperelli said. Manna on Main Street’s offices are reserved for staff and volunteers.
Caperelli also stressed the importance of staying ahead of the curve when it comes to implementing state rules or guidelines.
“We don’t want to shut down. That’s really the last thing we ever want to do,” he said.
While these nonprofits have an emphasis on food service, there are other resources available to those in need.
Bouley said the Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard has a clothing boutique. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there is limited availability to shop. Patrons need to get their temperatures checked and wear a mask while in the store.
“We’re still serving as many as we can and just being more mindful of hours and being open more often to get as many people in as possible,” she said.
Manna on Main Street has remote “client services,” which help recipients get in touch with other agencies. The Emergency Financial Assistance Program remains in effect for those who have lost wages that “cannot be filled in by unemployment.”
“We have seen requests go up significantly for emergency financial assistance,” Caparelli said.
For more information about the application process, as well as Manna on Main Street’s hours and availability, call 215-8555454 or visit the nonprofit’s website at mannaonmain.org.
While people obtained the services of local pantries, nonprofit officials saw the community itself stepping up by donating financially and food items.
“We’ve received many generous donations from long time donors as well as newfound resources,” Rooney said. “Some new donors, out of the kindness of their hearts, have reached out to us with their contributions, simply because they felt the need to help their neighbors.” Bouley agreed.
“We have seen a lot of new donors during this COVID[-19 pandemic], and we’re very grateful to have the support that we have to continue the work that we do,” she said.
For more information about the Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard, call 215-628-3002 or visit community-cupboard.org. To learn more about donation opportunities at the Patrician Society, call 610-2726316, email info@patriciansociety.org or visit www.patriciansociety.org.
All in all, food pantries and local community cupboards’ value cannot be overstated during tough financial times.
“Food is not getting any cheaper at the grocery store,” Bouley said. “So I think we will always have a need. I think we will always need to be here, and I think we’ll always have demand for these types of services.”