On May 6, Food Pantry Coordinator Stacy Openshaw saw 94 households visit the pantry in one day. This was five more households than the busiest day in April. Even on what used to be considered slower days, the pantry sees more neighbors utilizing its services. This pattern has been repeating month after month, with only a dip in visits during February. April saw the highest number of individual visits with more than 900 neighbors coming through the pantry doors at least once that month, a 20% increase since January.
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The Mission’s pantry is a choice pantry, which means visitors can choose what products they want from the shelves. They pick things that meet their preferences and needs. But with continued rising demand, Mission staff began to examine ways to ensure incoming food could stay stocked and last the whole week, so all neighbors have a chance to shop.
But while more people are using the pantry, the Mission receives the same number of products from their partnership with Good Shepherd Food Bank. It was decided that if there is a limited quantity of a certain product, staff will post a recommended amount that each household should take.
Downeast Director Jenny Jones shares that this decision was made after considering what impact the signs could have on neighbors. She says, “When someone goes to the grocery store, they might be limited by how much money they want to spend or how much of an item is in stock. We want people to approach the pantry in the same way.” Jenny says visitors have given positive feedback as they have a greater understanding of how popular an item might be. The signs are also not supposed to set strict limits, and if someone asks to take more, maybe because they have a bigger family, they are welcome to take what they need.
In addition, the pantry is asking neighbors to limit their visits to once a week, if possible. While visitations tend to dip in the summer months community members start at seasonal positions or pick up second jobs, the Mission is unsure it will see the same pattern with food prices continuing to stay high. Good Shepherd Food Bank also announced that with cuts to the federal TEFAP program, pantries could also see the amount of food they receive drop dramatically.
And this is not just happening at the local level. Pantries across the country are finding new ways to meet an increasing demand for limited resources. There are also proposed federal cuts, which could also drive-up demand, as SNAP allows many people on limited incomes to make purchases at the grocery store.
In the meantime, the Mission is working hard to ensure that the people who need food continue to get what they need. If you would like to help, please donate to the Mission online.
To learn more about the Mission’s work to reduce hunger Downeast, please visit our Food Security web page.