Great Barrington — The need for help for residents dealing with food insecurity continues to grow in Berkshire County, according to People’s Pantry co-president Beth Moser.
The organization originally opened in 1999 and has operated since 2017 out of Saint James Place, at 5 Taconic Avenue. It is open twice a week and distributes a variety of fresh food and hygiene items to residents and families in need.
“The need for help for people dealing with food insecurity is tremendous,” Moser told The Berkshire Edge. “The number of people coming into our pantry has increased over time. They haven’t increased very dramatically, but it’s just been a steady increase. I would say that every week there is somebody new coming to the pantry. They don’t necessarily come every week, but they need some help. But we also have people who need help every week.”
Moser said that the number of people dealing with food insecurity has grown over the years not just in Berkshire County but throughout the state. During her interview with The Berkshire Edge, Moser cited a study completed this summer by The Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham’s Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition Equity. The study, “Opportunities to Improve Food Equity and Access in Massachusetts: Ending Hunger – Together,” was released in the summer. The study revealed that, in 2022, one in three households in the state dealt with food insecurity, and that 36 percent of households dealt with child-level food insecurity.
Moser said that the organization feeds an average of 500 to 600 people per week, which includes 100 children and 120 seniors in southern Berkshire County. “We have dealt with residents who, every couple of weeks or months, run out of money and need our help,” Moser said. “As the pandemic started to recede, we thought the number of people that needed our help would start to go down. That number didn’t go down. In fact, as time passed, we started to notice more people needing our help as pandemic-era aid from the federal government started to end. The price of food has gone up over time, which is another reason why we have seen an increased need.”
Moser said that the ages of the residents that the organization helps are diverse, from young to old. “We have single people, multi-generational families, along with homeless residents, and grandparents coming to us,” Moser said. “As for the organization itself, we’re still holding our own financially. Next year, we’ll be celebrating our 25th year as an organization. But we want to plan for the future, and one of the things that we have learned from the pandemic is that things happen. We can’t predict when things happen and what happens, but what we want to do now is guarantee that the pantry will still be here to serve the people who need it whenever they need it.”
To that end, Moser said that the organization has established an endowment fund with the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. The foundation became affiliated with The People’s Pantry in November 2022. “There are people out there who want to give to an endowment fund because they don’t want to see money going out the door this week, but instead they would rather build something for the future,” Moser said. “But the best thing people can do right now to support our organization is to donate to us. I know people like to donate food, but through financial donations, we can pick and choose what we need to purchase. For example, we might have 100 jars of peanut butter on hand, but no cans of tuna fish. If you give us jars of peanut butter, that’s fine in the long run, but it’s not what we need this week.”
Moser said that, despite the current challenges due to inflation and the rising costs of food products, the organization will continue to fulfill its mission of providing healthy and nutritious food, including food that is grown locally. “We want to improve everyone’s quality of life,” Moser said. “If everyone eats well, it’s better for everyone. I can tell you that people have come into the pantry and they’re happy with what they get. They tell me that it is such a load off of their shoulders when they receive our help. We are deeply grateful to our supporters, including the support we’ve received over the years from our local community.”
For more information about The People’s Pantry, visit its website.
