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12:03:30 am Area Pantries Need Donations

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Despite glimmering hints of recovery in the economy, the need for assistance remains high this holiday season as area pantries struggle to meet the needs of local families.

Father Gabriel Healy co-founded Damien’s Pantry in Wareham with Father Thomas McElroy in 1991. According to Father Gabriel, the demands of his pantry have increased 35% since last year, when the pantry distributed 867 bundles of food to families in need. With climbing unemployment rates, there are more families seeking assistance from local food pantries like Damien’s, leaving the small organizations overwhelmed and undersupplied.

At one point, Damien’s Pantry supplied food to anyone who showed up during pantry hours. Two years ago, the strain became too great and Damien’s had to limit their distribution to residents of southeastern Massachusetts falling under the umbrella of United Way New Bedford, which includes the towns of Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Marion, all of Wareham, some of Buzzard’s Bay, Rochester, and Acushnet.

United Way helps fund Damien’s Pantry, as does the New Bedford Hunger Commission, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and private residents. “People have been very generous to us,” Father Gabriel said.

Damien’s Pantry, an outreach of Sacred Heart in Wareham, is set up like a store, and supplies food to those in need once a month during their pantry hours of Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 9:30 to noon. The work is done entirely by a staff of forty volunteers and one paid worker who does the food pick-up. The food given is enough for a family to live on for 4 or 5 days.

Pantries like Damien’s are always in need of assistance from the public. There are food drop-off stations at Stop and Shop, schools, Millicent Library in Fairhaven, and banks during the holiday season. For groups collecting a large amount of food, Damien’s Pantry is glad to pick up. Cash donations are also needed, but Father Gabriel says that they need the donations year-round; in summer, they still have demand, but their assistance from private donations slows down.

Labor is also needed for Damien’s Pantry. Although they have volunteers and receive help from those completing community service, they can always use new volunteers, and volunteers can offer any amount of time – weekly or monthly – to help.

Hanna Milhench, a volunteer for Damien’s Pantry, agrees that “there are more people in need, no question,” than prior years. During her last shift at Damien’s, she helped distribute turkey and chicken breasts to needy families.

In addition to volunteering for Damien’s Pantry, Ms. Milhench is also helping to organize the Community Resources Network Thanksgiving baskets to those in need in Wareham, Rochester, Marion, Buzzard’s Bay, and Onset.

Anyone can help in the Thanksgiving basket effort. Ms. Milhench says that they will continue to accept food and cash donations at the Congregational Church Hall at 1 Gibbs Avenue in Wareham on November 22 at 2:00 pm. While the Boy and Girl Scouts will be available, they still need help that day to compile the Thanksgiving baskets.

For more information on the Thanksgiving baskets, call Ms. Milhench at (508) 748-0984. Donations to Damien’s Pantry can be made to: Damien’s Pantry, c/o Father Gabriel FFCC, 77 Adams Street Box 111, Fairhaven, Ma 02719.

If you need help making your Thanksgiving thankful, contact Damien’s Pantry. If you have plenty to be thankful about, consider helping your neighbor in need. Whether it is time, food, or labor, there are plenty of ways we can help this holiday season.

By Anne O’Brien-Kakley

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