There are people out there who have to make tough decisions when it comes to their finances.
Whether to pay the rent or put food on the table is a very real struggle for families, and it can only be magnified when the holidays roll around with all the expectations that come with the season. They might be your neighbors, coworkers or friends of friends – or even you.
Unfortunately for some, there isn’t money in the weekly budget to fill the pantry with the necessities for meals – let alone all the extras that many people take for granted. Some need a helping hand year round when it comes to feeding their families, while others only ask when there’s no other option. Thankfully, the Monadnock Region is home to numerous food pantries that are there to help those individuals and families. There is a verification process that people must go through to receive the aid, either by proving to be on government assistance or meeting the income threshold.
In all, there are nine pantries that have been created to relieve some of that burden of having food in the refrigerator. While it won’t allow folks to feed their families three square meals a day, seven days a week, it does enough so that money can then be used to pay the electric bill or heat the home.
Located at the Peterborough Community Center, the pantry is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. It serves 13 towns that encompass the ConVal, Jaffrey-Rindge and Mascenic school districts.
Executive Director Kathy Boss said that the pantry will see about 300 families per month and that visits are limited to once a week and generally equates to about three days worth of food.
“It’s meant to be supplementary,” Boss said.
The pantry is staffed strictly using volunteers, typically two or three for a three-hour shift. The way it works is that clients come in and fill out a form that has the standard items on it – soups, bread, pastas – and the volunteers will then fill the order. Clients can then choose a meat and other items they might see on the shelf they’d like to add. There are also tables in the lobby with donated baked goods and overstock items that may be taken.
“Some come once a month and some come just when they need us,” said Virginia Lee Miller, a volunteer and member of the board. “And others who come weekly.”
On Saturday, the pantry will be handing out 100 turkeys with all the fixings – stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, gravy, canned vegetables – to those who qualify for services. Boss said there were still meals available and those interested could call the pantry at 924-3008 to inquire.
“We definitely get a lot of people coming in for the turkey meals and holiday meals that come in the rest of the year,” Boss said.
Recently, a local boys scout group dropped off a large food drive and Shaw’s helps out with its turkey box that collects items for holiday meals and Spirit of Giving campaign that will donate food in January, which equated to about $16,000 worth of food last year.
“We are so fortunate in the support we get from people in Peterborough and the towns outside,” Miller said.
The volunteers know how hard it can be for people to admit they need help.
“The first time can be very difficult,” Miller said.
Donations of any kind – money, food and necessities – are always welcomed.
“Monetary donations are definitely the best because we can stretch our dollars really far,” Boss said.
The need for soups, pastas, baked beans, canned proteins go way up as the weather gets colder.
“We can always use more,” Boss said.
There’s also the hungry student program in conjunction with All Saints Church that provides snacks for students during the school day.
The pantry is also in search of a warehouse space to store extra food that will be coming in this time of year.
For the last 22 years, Roger and Linda Ladouceur have been helping feed those in need in the towns of Wilton, Lyndebrough, Greenfield and Temple. It started in a basement cupboard of a local church and then moved to the Wilton Falls Building across from the police station two years ago.
The pantry is open Monday through Friday by appointment, but they will never turn someone away who is faced with the possibility of no food.
“We come right away if someone is desperate,” Linda said.
The Ladouceurs have about 30 to 35 appointments each month, where people can grab a cart and shop in the aisles of the pantry. They allow people to walk around and take what they need – within reason.
“I expect someone with three children to take more than an individual,” Roger said. “You get to know the people after a while and sometimes I might encourage people to take more. It’s a balancing act.”
This Sunday, they will distribute 45 turkeys along with potatoes, vegetables, gravy and stuffing, traditional fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner.
“It’s mostly for the people who come to the pantry regularly,” Roger said.
So far, the pantry has gotten 100,000 pounds from the N.H. Food Bank this year, while also having a good relationship with Market Basket. They also get quite a bit of support from local individuals and organizations.
One gentleman donates eggs every year, including 496 dozen eggs in 2017. The Wilton Lions Charitable Foundation has been a huge supporter of the pantry.
“They’re really our partner organization,” Roger said.
The American Legion in Wilton hosts a big food drive competition a couple times of year, which really helps stock the shelves. The Wilton-Lyndeborough High School national honor society also recently did a food drive.
As for those thinking about helping right now.
“Wait till July 4th and have a Fourth of July party because that’s when we get low on stuff,” Roger said.
“We’ll get to summer with all the stuff that comes in now,” Linda added.
For more, call 809-6114.
The pantry located at Sacred Heart Church in Greenville is open Monday through Thursday by appointment, but director Maureen Stenuis is always available.
“You could almost say we’re open all the time,” she said.
Serving the towns of Greenville, New Ipswich, Temple and Mason, clients are eligible to visit the pantry twice a month and Stenuis said they help individuals all the way up to a family of nine.
The goal of the pantry is to help those who need it, but also “I want people to learn to be self sufficient,” Stenuis said.
But she has learned over the years that you can’t judge a person’s situation, but rather just be there to lend a helping hand.
“I’ve been there and they can talk to me,” she said.
The pantry provided enough food for almost 8,000 meals in October alone, thanks to its dozen of volunteers and countless donations. They purchase food from the N.H. Food Bank and receive commodity food from the government every other month. They have a walk in freezer and walk in refrigerator, so the pantry can handle large quantities of items when they become available.
“We consider ourselves very fortunate to have that,” Stenuis said.
On Saturday, the pantry will be doing its annual Thanksgiving meal hand out complete with turkeys and the fixings, along with fresh pies made by the New Ipswich Congregational Church and ice cream courtesy of the Mason Congregational Church.
“It shows we’re doing things right,” Stenuis said.
There are still meals available, so call 878-0518 and leave a message. They also give away hams at Christmas and have a gift program for chil dren for the holidays.