Lately, Patchwork’s food pantry has been extremely busy. Last month we served 221 people from 126 households. That was 72 people and 30 households more than the previous month. It marks the first month that was back to pre-pandemic usage rates. It shows that people are still struggling. Getting assistance with food is one way that many families begin to cope when they have too many bills to pay and not enough income to pay them.
Sharing food is a way we all show we care. It is part of our culture to share meals with family and friends, enjoying conversation and building bonds as we nourish our bodies. At Patchwork, we hope that a visit to our food pantry extends this same hospitality to our guests. Here are a few recent examples of what I mean:
A past Arts & Smarts Program participant stopped in for food from the pantry. I remembered her from 25 years ago when I first worked at Patchwork. We reminisced as I got her one-year-old twins added to her household within the food pantry referral system.
“I learned so many good lessons when I was here as a kid. I did it all!” she said. “Bike shop, the fashion show, ceramics, gardening.”
I handed the food pantry paperwork to her as she headed toward the food pantry. “It’s good to see you again,” I said. “Remember, we’re always here.”
A woman chatted with Bailey as Bailey put together the woman’s food order. The woman mentioned that she had a job interview later and she was looking for a second opinion on what to wear. She was a little nervous and wanted to get it right.
“Do you have pants that aren’t jeans?” Bailey asked.
“Yes. I’ve got some gray pants,” the woman said. “And I have a white shirt I could wear.”
“That sounds perfect,” Bailey encouraged her. Hopefully that encouragement and the fact that she now had some food in her kitchen helped put her mind at ease as she looked toward the interview.
“Do you have any tomatoes in the food pantry today?” Arthur asked Molly.
“Not in the food pantry, but on the vine in the garden!” Molly cheerfully replied. She also tried to sell him on cucumbers by billing them as “future pickles.”
He opted to wait another day to see if we would get more of the nice beefsteak tomatoes that the Tri-State Food Bank has been sending us this summer.
Our food pantry stocks dog and cat food to help people feed their furry friends. In her downtime between filling food orders, Bailey has been turning strips of T-shirt material into woven dog toys. The dog toys have been a fun addition. It’s been nice to see dogs playing with their new toys as their owners leave Patchwork with bags of dog food in hand.
With such significant increases in food pantry usage, we have struggled to remain well-stocked on the items included in every food order. Each visitor to our food pantry gets an array of food that is intended to be the basis of multiple meals. Most of our food comes to us through the Tri-State Food Bank, but if the Food Bank is unable to acquire some of the items then we must either purchase them from grocery stores or find people to donate the items to us.
If you would like to help, you can donate money toward our food purchases or you can donate food items. The items of greatest need are constantly changing, so feel free call to check what we need at any given time. Items you can donate include:
- Saltine crackers
- Rice in 1 lb bags
- Cereal (preferably not super sugary varieties)
- Canned vegetables
- Canned soup
All donated food must be non-perishable, commercially produced, and in its original, sealed packaging.