Jo-Ann Gustafson of Jaffrey knows there are people out there who need more help than her family does.
The last time Gustafson used a food pantry was before the COVID-19 pandemic began. But by mid-February, she found herself in a situation where she felt the need to ask for help.
Both Gustafson and her granddaughter, who she and her husband are raising, contracted COVID-19 and were forced to quarantine for two weeks.
“It’s been a rough road,” Gustafson said. So she connected with Mandy Carter, Community Resource Specialist/Kinship Navigator at The River Center. Carter began delivering food to the Gustafsons from the Community Meals To Go program on Tuesday and Thursday nights and as Gustafson put it, “it made a huge impact.”
“I’m very thankful it was there when we needed it the most. It’s been a godsend,” she said. “For people in real need, it’s amazing there’s a program out there for them. And at my time of need, I was very fortunate it was there.”
But for Gustafson, she only wants to use the program when absolutely necessary.
“I try not to take away from people that really need it,” she said. She said the elderly residents in the area could benefit from Community Meals To Go, as well as those experiencing homelessness, and she’d gladly take a back seat to others.
“I would figure something out,” Gustafson said. “We would make something from what’s in the fridge or ask a neighbor. People who are less fortunate should take advantage of it.”
Gustafson did use the Peterborough Food Pantry last week and was given a whole chicken with all the fixings.
“The food pantries are amazing and we’re very thankful for what we’ve been given,” she said.
Gustafson is one of countless locals who’ve benefited from the Community Meals To Go program since it began distributing meals on Feb. 2. The Community Meals To Go program is cleaned out of the 150 meals and 25 gift certificates on hand about half an hour into each distribution session, which take place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 6 p.m. in the upper parking lot of South Meadow School in Peterborough.
“People now know they have to get there in the first half hour,” said Karen Hatcher, Community and Economic Development Coordinator for the Town of Peterborough who helped launch the program. There’s been such an interest that some people have been turned away after all the meals are gone. For Hatcher, it shows there’s a real need and that more can be done. “It’s great, but the demand is greater, the need is greater. You’d really like to do more,” she said.
After Thursday’s distribution, the program will have given out the equivalent of 1,350 meals over its first four weeks. It started with 125 meals and 25 gift certificates per night during the first week and was increased to 150 and 25 for the last three.
On Tuesdays, Aesop’s Tables prepares 100 meals to go along with 50 from Brady’s American Grill. On Thursdays, Nonie’s provides 100 meals and Cooper’s Hill Public House adds 50. On both nights, 25 gift certificates from Grappelli’s are available. Each restaurant is reimbursed $10 per meal.
The restaurants all share a Google Doc to coordinate and ensure there are a variety of options.
Nonie’s owner Greg Smith said participating in the program was a no-brainer.
“It makes you feel like you’re doing your part, giving back to the community,” Smith said. “You do what you can do to help out.” But at the same time, it is making an impact for the downtown Peterborough restaurant.
“It’s sort of a lifeline at this point,” Smith said. Right now things are “scary quiet,” Smith said, so having the extra revenue coming in is huge.
“We did okay in the summer, sales were down slightly, but nothing tragic,” Smith said. “But its been a ghost town after Christmas.”
Smith prepares the meals himself to keep costs down and it typically is a two-day project. So far he’s made roast turkey, which was donated from the Peterborough Food Pantry, as well as beef stew and baked ziti. For Thursday, he’s making American chop suey.
Aesop’s Tables owner Eliza Allen said signing on for the program was an immediate yes – even though it would mean added work and planning.
“If it helps the restaurants and helps people who need meals, it’s a really great thing to do,” Allen said.
Allen said it’s about an extra 10 to 15 hours a week and the production can happen anywhere from Saturday to Tuesday, depending on what she’s making.
“A hundred meals is a lot, especially in a kitchen the size we have,” Allen said. She has made meals like mac and cheese, chicken cordon bleu and chicken and veggies, and has chosen to keep the meals cold and not frozen so people can warm them up the night of.
She said the money they are paid for the meals makes a difference, as she still is only offering takeout and winter is already historically slow.
“It helps us operate, gives us a little security,” Allen said.
Barry York, owner of Brady’s American Grill, was hesitant at first to say yes. Not because he couldn’t handle the extra meals, but he wanted to make sure other restaurants who were hurting even more had a chance to participate first and get a little more income coming in.
While business hasn’t been as good as it was before COVID, York did well with outdoor dining and has a big dining room that still allows for plenty of customers to dine in while maintaining proper distancing. He feels for the restaurants with smaller locations that don’t have the space to spread people out. He understands the economic impact and trickle down effect the pandemic can have.
“That’s why I tried to stay open during the whole pandemic. I employ 25 people,” York said.
York said he’s provided meals like roast pork loin with mashed potatoes and veggies, cheese ravioli and shepherd’s pie. He typically cooks and packages them in microwaveable containers on Monday and then refrigerates the meals until he drops them off Tuesday afternoon.
“I figure people want to eat it that night or they can freeze it,” York said. He said he tries to make the portions big enough for two people.
Cooper’s Hill owner Cassandra Sullivan said the program is in line with their history of giving and is a big help after what they’ve gone through the last year. They used to host Drink and Do Good events, where a portion of proceeds would be donated to nonprofits in the region. But given the financial impact of the last year, which has included shutdowns and a months long closure due to a flood, the ability to give is a little harder. But the Community Meals To Go program is perfect.
“This gives us a way to get involved with the community,” she said. “And it’s also nice that it supports us. It’s definitely been a nice little boost.”
So far they have made meals like cottage pie, meatloaf and mac and cheese, similar to items they have on the menu.
“Just some tweaks to making it in bulk,” she said. Cooper’s also delivers its meals cold and not frozen.
“We have more cooler space than freezer space,” Sullivan said. “And I assume people are probably going home and eating them that night or the next day.”
Community Meals To Go began with a goal of raising $50,000 to support 12 weeks of distribution through May and less than two months since the concept was launched, Hatcher said the program had surpassed that total by more than $10,000 as of Wednesday morning. Recently that goal has been increased to $75,000.
Hatcher said she has been looking for other ways to bring in donations and grants, and learned this week there will be a grant coming through Emergency Food and Shelter Program administered through the United Way of Greater Nashua. She also heard this week that the Monadnock Hunger Walk will allow participants to raise funds for the program.
What Hatcher likes about the program is that it helps both the participating restaurants and those in need of a meal.
“The way I think about the dollars for this program is there’s a double impact,” Hatcher said.
In a way to aid the restaurants, the Peterborough Food Pantry has been providing items they have an abundance of that can be used for meal prep. Allen used chicken broth and split peas to make split pea soup, but in return she didn’t charge for the meals.
Hatcher said from what she’s been told the number of people using the food pantry is down.
“But the food is getting where it needs to go, but just in this new way,” she said. Every meal given out is complimented with a list of food resources in the area, a food pantry order form and instructions on how to order.
“So if you need groceries, there’s a place you can get them,” Hatcher said.
The program is open to anyone who needs a meal and no verification is required.
Hatcher said the early success of the program comes with mixed emotions.
“It’s both heart warming and heart wrenching,” she said. “It’s heart wrenching when you have cars pulling in and you have nothing left.”
York said seeing all those cars when he drops off the meals Tuesday afternoons makes him pause.
“When I was leaving and saw all those cars lined up, it makes you think twice about how lucky you are,” York said.
When Smith does the dropoffs, he can see there are plenty of people out there who might not know where their next meal is coming from.
“It really touched us,” Smith said. “There’s a real need.”
Sullivan said when she brings the meals to SMS each Thursday, it is a reality check.
“At 4:30, 4:45 p.m., there’s already a line of cars,” she said. “Seeing the need firsthand, it feels really great to be part of it.”
Hatcher said what they’ve seen is that the greatest need lies in families.
“Overwhelmingly the people coming to pick up are picking up for families,” she said. “It’s really pointing us to where the pain point is during this pandemic and it’s in families.”
She said 32 percent of ConVal district families qualify for free and reduced lunch, something she calls a big wake up call.
“That’s a third of the families in our district that are at that limit financially,” Hatcher said.
Allen, who grew up in the area, said she only wishes the program had been created before.
“It really seems to be working,” she said. “There’s obviously a need for it.”
The next distribution is Thursday in the upper parking lot of South Meadow School from 5 to 6 p.m.
For more, visit https://www.facebook.com/communitymealstogo and to donate, visit https://donorbox.org/peterborough-community-meals-to-go.