I was asked to start a discussion about food pantries around Chatham. I'll share what I have heard or confirmed. I hope posters with involvement or knowledge of food pantries will post info so we can all (a) get a sense of the total demand for food and (b) help each other manage low inventory situations (if interested) by sharing referrals.
By all accounts, the need for food pantry services is substantially higher than last year.
Many people come to the centers for CORA referrals. (More about CORA below.) We make referrals to CORA, as do other health and human agencies and county departments, when the person's or family's needs are more appropriately served by CORA.
The Eastern Chatham Senior Center in Pittsboro and the Western Chatham Senior Center in Siler City have food pantries. They are stocked with donations. We have a few highly committed older adults and groups who donate regularly, and we appreciate being able to maintain a small steady supply for distribution. Whatever overhead might exist, e.g. staff time, is a by product of our Wellness & Care nutrition programs.
We generally distribute 1 - 2 bags per person in the household but it depends on the situation. Usually, people ask for what they think they need to get by and we encourage them to focus on their nutrition every day. We don't put a limit on the number of times someone comes but few people come back frequently. Almost all our distributions are to adults aged 60 and + but there are sometimes circumstances when the people are younger.
If we receive cash donations for the pantries and the food inventory is good, we sometimes purchase personal hygiene products or adult diapers.
The paperwork goes along with the usual notes staff take the first time they meet with someone.
Hours, Monday through Friday, roughly 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Expect inventory to be very low after the gift tree presents are delivered by mid-December.
I recall that a church in Moncure has/had a food pantry. A church in Goldston? Evergreen Methodist on 15/501? St. Bart's in Pittsboro has a lunch day, right? A church in N Chatham (sorry! don't know the name) has a home cooked meal program, right?
The Western Chatham Food Pantry (not related to the senior center) and CORA are unique in that they are nonprofit agencies whose missions are to operate food pantries. I think CORA can purchase some items through the North Carolina Food Bank, and I know they keep more detailed records about it than we do.
I hope someone from both organizations can fill in the details and the need. I believe that both of them help people of all ages and families.
Council on Aging also loans assistive devices, such as walkers, canes, wheelchairs (which we can always use immediately), bath chairs, etc., to older adults.
Others?
Angel Dennison
Council on Aging
