The fall season brings a bevy of traditional imagery to mind vibrant colors, brisk mornings and, of course, Thanksgiving and the other bounties of the harvest season.
But as the holidays appear around the bend, area food pantries are preparing for what tends to be a time of increased need. And with the far-reaching implications of the faltering economy, some are already stretching themselves as it is.
People just can’t make it, there’s so many bills to pay, and last year’s heating bills were so high you choose to either buy food or pay a bill,` said Jane Sanders of the Bethlehem Food Pantry, a division of the town’s Senior Services department.
This September, the pantry served 42 families, up from 26 two years ago. Considering the fact some users have left her pantry for other options closer to their homes, Sanders estimated that the need for pantry services has doubled in town, while donations have simultaneously diminished.
`We used to pride ourselves on being totally supported by the community,` said Sanders. Now, like many other pantries, the Bethlehem Food Pantry relies on organizations like Food Pantries for the Capital District as an outlet for low-cost supplies.
At the Venture Churches Food Pantry, organizers are busy collecting items to put into Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for needy families that might otherwise not have a holiday meal. More than100 families are signed up for the program, a figure that Co-Director Tricia Kandefer-Margic expects will go up before the holidays arrive.
`With the economy the way it is this year, I think the need is increasing,` she said.
The Venture Pantry, which is located at the First Reformed Church of Bethlehem in Selkirk, covers areas of Glenmont, Selkirk, South Bethlehem and Feura Bush. Glenmont Community Church and South Bethlehem Methodist Church are also members of the pantry program, and are pivotal in collecting the donations that serve 25 to 30 families each month.
The holiday baskets that Venture distributes include a turkey or ham, along with nonperishable cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing, vegetables and cake or brownie mix. Each family will also receive margarine, a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs.
While this gesture is an important part of Venture’s program, it does pose a challenge for the shelter and the roughly 25 volunteers who work there.
`It’s going to be tight,` said Co-Director Carol Broderick. `We’re starting to put things aside for the baskets now.`
Margic and Broderick took over the Venture Food Pantry earlier this year, and have since introduced a refrigerator for perishables and established a relationship with Food Pantries for the Capital District and the Regional Food Bank.
Most food pantries provide consultation services so users can apply for HEAP, food stamps and other programs. Sometimes government help doesn’t stretch as far as it needs to, though, and that’s where food pantries come in as an emergency measure.
`We fill in at the end of the month,` said Onesquethaw Food Pantry Director Betty Koban. `When people run out of food stamps, etc., we provide food the last Tuesday of the month.`
The Onesquethaw Pantry, which is run out of the Onesquethaw Reformed Church, is also supported by the Unionville Dutch Reformed Church, Jerusalem Reformed Church and Clarksville Community Church. The pantry served 26 families last month, which is about average.
All of the pantries The Spotlight spoke with said they appreciate donations of non-perishable food and personal items like toothpaste, toilet paper, diapers and the like. Especially as the holiday season approaches, there will be food drive opportunities throughout the community. Cash donations are also acceptable.
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