Demand at some places has more than doubled 

By Janet G. Mead

In these bleak times, the term food insecurity takes on new meaning. Another group of (largely unsung) heroes has stepped up to the plate: those volunteers who run our local food banks. The number of customers they serve has skyrocketed in recent weeks.

Most food banks in Connecticut are set up to serve residents in their immediate area only. The Norfolk Food Pantry—actually a service of the Town of Norfolk, but run out of the back of the Church of Christ Congregational—serves people from Norfolk, Colebrook and Winsted, and sometimes as far away as Torrington. Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry serves three towns: Canaan, Norfolk and Falls Village. The Corner Food Pantry in Lakeville stands out: they serve families in both Litchfield County and New York State. At each place, customers must register, indicating the size of their families. 

The process used to be somewhat orderly. No longer. “Last week we had 66 families—some 226 individuals—coming to the pantry. That’s the most ever in 2020!” commented a member of the board of the Corner Food Pantry. And as Louise Reilly, director of the Fishes & Loaves Pantry in Canaan, observed, “Last week we had 124 cars full of clients. Usually we have 80.”

All three food banks have had to completely rework the way they operate. All three used to allow customers to shop the shelves; now volunteers—all wearing masks and gloves—prebag food and either walk it out to the car or place it on a table outside. 

All three rely on a staff of volunteers and on donations from a medley of sources: the Connecticut Food Bank, local grocery stores, farmers—and individuals. But business as usual has been upended, and supply chains disrupted. “Every segment [of the food chain] has been impacted,” according to Louise Reilly. “Processing plants have closed, and farmers are just dumping food. The shelves in the grocery stores are bare.”

Not only is there less food, there are fewer workers. Organizations like the Connecticut Food Bank rely on a huge number of volunteers—over 5,600—and stores have reduced their personnel. 

“Each food bank has changed . . . they’re adapting, very much on the fly, like everything else is,” noted a board member of the Lakeville pantry. Now one crew of volunteers comes in to prebag food, and another comes in twice a week—Friday evenings and Saturday mornings—to distribute the bags to customers outside.

A Corner Food Pantry volunteer commented, “We’ve had to reduce the number of volunteers in the pantry to a maximum of three at a time. It’s a very small space. And we can do those tasks with which we’re the most comfortable. . . . There’s a real esprit de corps.”

Two of the three local food banks usually offer fresh food—vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs—much of it provided by local grocery stores such as Stop & Shop and LaBonne’s. But those resources are dwindling. Whipporwill Farm in Salisbury recently donated over $5,000 worth of meat, enough for three weeks, to the Corner Pantry. Many people donate eggs, and people are dropping off food at all three food banks.

“We’ve got a really nice selection: canned fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, bread and juice boxes for kids. And we try to do our best to cater to our diabetic and gluten-free customers,” Reilly said. “I’ve noticed some volunteers slipping candy into some of the bags,” said a Corner Pantry volunteer.

For the rest, the food bank volunteers shop local stores for the best bargains. They go to Aldi’s and Price Chopper and PriceRite. All three pantries have organized deliveries to those who cannot get out. The Corner Pantry gives each family a $10 certificate to a local grocery store. In Norfolk, Husky Farms is working with local organizations to donate any surplus produce. One donor gave a full-season subscription to Husky Farms (worth $600) to a family.

What’s the best way to help? “Send a check!’ says Louise Reilly. “Everything is changing. That’s all we can say for sure,” she added.

Norfolk Food Pantry
Lynn Deasy
12 Litchfield Road
Norfolk, Conn.
Hours: 10-1, Tuesdays through Fridays
860-542-5721

Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry
Louise Reilly, Director
30 Granite Avenue
North Canaan, Conn.
Hours: Tuesday, 5-7 pm, TR. 12-2 p.m.
860-824-7232

The Corner Food Pantry
80 Sharon Road, North East
Lakeville, Conn.
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10-1 
860-435-9886
http://www.thecornerfoodpantry.org/

And see the “Feeding Our Community” website, on the Norfolk Foundation website, https://norfolkfoundation.net/covid-19.