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“Every week I see one or two new people who come in to me for services,” said Ferrari.
According to Pat Brawley Morise, co-director of the food pantry, people in the community have been very supportive.
“It’s been wonderful how everyone in town has been so helpful,” she stated. “We received over two dozen calls recently when we put out the word that we needed freezer space to store the holiday turkeys that we have coming in.”
The problem was solved when the Milton High School Boosters stepped up to offer extra storage space available in the freezers at the Copeland Field House.
With the economic downturn, the services of food pantries and food banks are especially important, as more and more people find themselves in need across the Commonwealth.
This fall, the food pantry received a grant of $2,500 from Project Bread’s 40th annual “Walk for Hunger,” the nation’s biggest and oldest continuing pledge walk.
In 2008, Project Bread contributed a total of $417,622 for nutrition outreach programs. The Milton Food Pantry is among 400 emergency food programs in 128 cities and towns across Massachusetts to receive money from Project Bread, which supports food pantries, meal programs, food banks, and food salvage programs. This year’s walk, held in May, raised a record $3.8 million.
“The work of Project Bread is just amazing,” said Morise. “It’s really about consciousness raising. There are poor people here in our country who don’t have enough to eat. These people cannot walk into a grocery store to buy food.”
And the message reverberates across Milton, as well. Many groups and individuals contribute to support the work of the food pantry, having home or block parties asking guests to bring donations of food or money. Schools and scout troops often donate food. The post office holds an annual food drive, and recently, over 75 people attended a violin concert by Paul Nangeroni at Fuller Village that raised over $3,000 for the cause.
Morise also would like to remind the public that the pantry has 501(c)(3) status as a non-profit organization, and is eligible for matching gifts from participating corporations.
“It’s easy to forget, especially in this town, that there are people who are in need,” she said. “And the need continues throughout the year, not just at holiday time.”
The food pantry accepts donations of non-perishable food items and funds throughout the year in the basement of Parkway United Methodist Church, 158 Blue Hills Parkway. Volunteers are needed Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, call the pantry at 617-696-0221.
To donate to the Milton Residents Fund, which helps with fuel assistance and other services for residents and seniors in need, contact Diane Ferrari at 617-696-1214, or send a check to Milton Residents Fund, 535 Canton Ave., Milton, MA 02186.