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05/17/2016 01:15 PMIn an effort to support all Madison residents in need, the Madison Community Services (MCS) Food Pantry is now opening its doors one night a week to give working individuals and families time to stop by the pantry.
The food pantry will now be open Tuesday nights from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for those who can not make regular Wednesday hours, according to MCS President Cheryl Campbell.
So far, the Tuesday night hours haven’t received many visitors.
“Right now we only have six people taking advantage of it and we know that there is more need than that,” she said. “We really need people to come out and show us that they need this, otherwise I can’t say we would put the volunteers on for more than a couple of months if we see there is not the need.”
Campbell said on an average Wednesday, the pantry receives about 100 shoppers out of a registered need of nearly 180 people. Campbell said the low turn out can be explained in many ways.
“There are some people [who] don’t want to come out because they are embarrassed,” she said. “They don’t want to go to a local pantry because they are afraid of being recognized.”
While Campbell said she understands the concern, the only requirement for being able to receive food at the food bank is proof of residency.
“The only thing they have to do is give us a driver’s license and prove they are a resident,” she said. “We feel that if they are willing to walk over that door and ask for help, that we are there to give it to them.”
And thanks to a big community support system, the MCS Food Pantry is able to give more now than ever. As the pantry is completely volunteer run and does not receive money from the state or the town, it relies on donations to support its work.
The Madison Lions Club, Neighbor 2 Neighbor, Jim and Shelia Popp (who organized a grant for the food bank), and Gordon Gregory (who pays rent for the food pantry at its location at 50 Mungertown Road) are some of the biggest contributors, according to Campbell, who said local businesses pitch in as well.
“Cohen’s Bagels, they are supposed to give us our leftover bagels, but we are never short so they obviously bake extra for us,” she said. “Stop & Shop gives us all of their meats and they freeze them for us and even Big Y in Guilford—they give us a 20 percent discount on all produce that we buy from them.”
As a result of the community’s generosity, the pantry is now able to extend the fresh produce program and introduce a few new programs as well.
“We started a fresh produce program last year when Guilford Savings Bank started working with us, but it was very restricted in what we could do,” she said. “Now with the new money, we are able to expand the program to year-round so every week they are getting all sorts of healthy choices with fruits and vegetables.”
Starting this summer, the pantry will be kicking off a summer lunch program for students who receive free or reduced lunches in the Madison Public School System.
“Anyone who is registered for that we are going to provide food for over the summer,” she said.
Looking ahead, the food pantry is also considering developing a senior companion program to build on the food delivery service it currently offers to homebound seniors.
“We are always evaluating our programs,” she said. “We do a homebound program for people who, for medical reasons, can’t come to the pantry...We have people that shop for them and we deliver. When we are doing that, people find that seniors just want to talk and so we are looking to see if seniors would be interested in a companion program.”
Overall, Campbell said she is pleased with what the community support has made possible for the MCS Food Pantry.
“The community is amazing,” she said.
To learn more about the pantry and its programs, visit madisoncommunityservices.org.