Volunteers stock Grace Giving Pantry
A group of small but mighty food pantries has been assisting the people of central Pennsylvania, mostly going unnoticed except by the people they serve.
Heather Simpson is one of those people. What sent her to a food pantry?
“I was a newly single mom with a really tight income, and I needed to be able to provide for my kiddos,” she said.
Simpson visits Grace Giving Pantry at Grace Lutheran Church in Camp Hill weekly if her schedule allows. It’s open on Wednesday afternoons.
“When people come, we provide a meal that they can take home to cook, fresh fruits and veggies, breads and sweets, shelf stable food, refrigerated items, personal care items, cleaning supplies, and diapers provided by the Healthy Steps Diaper Bank,” said Jackie Behney, co-coordinator of the pantry.
Grace Giving Pantry is one of several small food pantries around the Harrisburg area, often run from churches. You may not hear about them as much as the larger food banks, but they play a vital role in helping to curb hunger throughout the region.
St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church on 17th Street in Harrisburg is another small pantry. It supplies the same types of food as Grace, but a bit differently. On the first and third Tuesdays of each month, Lisa Harris, pantry coordinator, prepacks about 20 bags for visitors.
“I give them a bag of dry goods, frozen food and meat, and this week I’ll have produce,” Harris said.
They’ve been doing this for 30 years.
Then there’s Mountain Be Removed Outreach Center (MBROC), which distributes its food outside in the parking lot of the Church of God in Penbrook.
“We’re out there 11 months out of the year, unless it snows, unless it’s pouring down raining,” said Samonia Whisonant, co-founder and executive director. “So, we’re out there in zero or below zero.”
MBROC decided to have its 14-year-old pantry outdoors because it’s less intimidating and gives them exposure to people who need help but may not know that they are there. Whisonant is grateful for the collaboration with the Church of God.
Collaboration allows these pantries to do their work. The food they distribute comes from a multitude of places.
“Midwest Food Bank is probably the largest place that we get food,” Behney said.
The pantries also get food from Panera, Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Aldi, Weis Markets and Giant. Each pantry’s corresponding church also provides financial donations.
“Sometimes, the best donation we get from our congregation is a financial one because, that way, we can fill in the gap by purchasing things we’re not able to have donated,” Behney said.
Ingenuity helps too. One volunteer from Grace Giving Pantry heads to Root’s Country Market and Auction in Manheim late Tuesday evenings to get rock bottom prices on produce.
Greater Options
All these donations go to many people for many reasons, including seniors, people facing illness, those who have lost a job, and those who simply can’t make ends meet.
During each distribution, MBROC serves about 60 families, Grace Giving Pantry about 25, and St. Paul’s about 20—not huge numbers, but huge to those who need the help.
Janice Reinke, manager of food procurement and distribution at Midwest Food Bank in Middletown, said that, of its 230 partner organizations, 80% are smaller sized.
“The need is great,” Reinke said. “So, the more options, the better.”
And these pantries are low- or no-barrier, meaning they have few requirements to get food.
“They just need to tell us their name, where they live, and how many people are in the household,” Whisonant said.
St. Paul requires identification, due to donor organization requirements, but “we serve whoever comes through the door,” Harris said.
There is no income requirement for the pantries, which is helpful to people like Simpson.
Simpson does receive SNAP, but, since she is self-employed, her income can vary greatly, pushing benefits down disproportionately to her increased income.
“There were times when I wasn’t getting enough benefits,” she said.
The pantry took the pressure off.
Whisonant pointed out that it’s not just about income. It’s also about bills.
“I think that, when it comes to groceries, it doesn’t matter where your income is at, because everybody is in a different spot, in a different situation,” Whisonant said.
She spoke of a time when there were three incomes coming into her house, but they still didn’t have enough for food. That’s what drove her to begin helping others, because her family was helped at one point.
Having a variety of small pantries offers people options of when, where and how frequently they can get food.
“They can come out on Saturdays, because most people are off on the weekends,” Whisonant said.
These three pantries aren’t one-trick ponies. Between the three, they either serve food to the homeless weekly, distribute food to seniors, or have a community meal at the church. They also have relationships with the folks who come to be served.
“They share their lives with us,” Behney said. “They share their prayer needs with us. We hear their life stories.”
Sometimes, the recipients become volunteers or donate to the cause.
These pantries represent just a portion of smaller pantries operating in the Harrisburg area. Others are tucked away in organizations’ basements and neighborhoods, quietly getting to know and serve those who need an extra hand. Filling people’s bags also benefits the giver.
“It fills my heart,” Behney said.
Editor’s note: Heather Simpson’s name was changed to protect her identity.
Where There’s Food
Where can people access small food pantries? Here’s information on the pantries mentioned in the story, plus a few others.
Mountain Be Moved Outreach Center
Church of God, Harrisburg
Second Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Grace Giving Pantry
Grace Lutheran Church, Camp Hill
Every Wednesday, 2 to 5 p.m.
St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, Harrisburg
First and third Tuesdays, 9:30 to 11 a.m.
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Middletown
Mondays and Thursdays, 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Tuesdays, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Crossroads Christian Ministries, Oberlin
Third Saturdays, 1 to 3 p.m.
One80 Ministries, Mechanicsburg
First and third Fridays, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Salem Shares Food Pantry
Fishing Creek Salem UMC, Etters
First Thursdays, 3:30 to 6 p.m.
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