Spring 2006

Agency Spotlight:
Hilltown Churches Food Pantry

For more than 20 years, the Hilltown Churches Food Pantry in Ashfield has been helping its neighbors in need in nine western Franklin County towns. “We serve about 105 families each distribution,” says Janet Rogers, Chair of the pantry’s Board of Directors.

Pantry Board member Rev. Phyllis Evelyn of the First Congregational Church of Shelburne Center helps pack up boxes for distribution. Rev. Evelyn’s congregation collects food for the pantry on the first Sunday of every month.

Twenty or more volunteers come together every other Tuesday in the basement of the First Congregational Church on Main Street to sort food and pack up bags and boxes. The boxes for this distribution contain fresh apples, onions, potatoes, and squash; frozen meats, orange juice, cheese, eggs, corn flakes, pasta, tomato sauce, coffee, beans, corn, and other assorted canned goods.

“We’re giving our friends and neighbors healthy food,” explains Janet. “You don’t have to eat bad stuff just because you don’t have money.”

As volunteers swarm the room filling boxes and bags, Janet and another volunteer, Pat Thayer, look at an inventory list. “Let’s give the turkeys to families of seven or more,” says Janet.

“These hams feed six to eight,” Pat notes.

“Let’s save the soups,” Janet suggests, “Next distribution is right before school vacation week
and the kids will need it for lunch.”

It takes $2,500 a month to run the all-volunteer pantry. They get food from The Food Bank and supplement that with community donations and purchased food. “It always seems to work out,” says Janet. “When The Food Bank was running low on salvage foods last year, the Boy Scouts came through with a food drive.”

“We’ve got the backing of the community,” she explains. “Even with the rising prices, people come through for us.”

Hilltown Churches Food Pantry distributes to individuals and families of varying sizes, among them a family of 10, a family of nine, two families of eight, and seven families of seven. Every single box that leaves the pantry, no matter the family size, contains meat, produce, and cheese. Clients also receive milk vouchers for the local convenience store, which donates some of the vouchers and sells the rest to the pantry at cost.

“People complain sometimes that we spend money on the healthy foods we distribute,” says Janet. “But it costs less in the long run when people are healthy.”

The Hilltown Churches Food Pantry is run cooperatively by St. John’s Episcopal and First Congregational of Ashfield, First Congregational of Shelburne Center, Mary Lyons Church of Buckland Center, and Plainfield Congregational. The pantry is looking for a volunteer grant writer. If you’d like to volunteer, contact Janet Rogers at 413-625-6086. Send donations to PO Box 161, Ashfield, MA 01330-0161.