MANSFIELD -- Our Daily Bread takes its name from the Lord’s Prayer, and for the last two decades it has provided sustenance to Mansfield residents in need.
The Our Daily Bread food pantry, a mission of the Mansfield Congregational Church on West Street, grew out of church and community members’ compassion for others. Today it provides a wide range of food items to as many as 100 families each week.
Dick Kelsay, one of the original organizers, said the idea for a food pantry sprang from church members’ desire to serve. “Several of us met in the parlor and talked,” he said. “The church wanted to have a mission. At the time, we didn’t have a food pantry.”
The group agreed to try, and set out to find a location. Eventually they settled on the parsonage’s garage, which was quickly transformed from an oil-stained carriage house to a sanitary storage place for donated foods.
“The first week, we had 15 people show up,” said Kelsay, who added that recipients were grateful for the supplies.
Usage has grown over the years, particularly during times of economic downturn.
“Between 2007 and 2011 we’d have 100-125 people a week,” Kelsay said.
A corps of church and service group members, regularly supplemented by volunteers from schools, companies and other organizations, handles the stocking and distribution of food to be sure the pantry is ready when recipients arrive every Saturday.
Distribution is held 9-11 a.m.
Local community leaders say the food pantry has contributed in a major way to the quality of life for town residents who regularly or temporarily need a little help to fill their food budget.
“Like so many of the organizations in town, these are good people volunteering to see that others’ needs are met,” said state Rep. Jay Barrows.
Council on Aging Director Deb Suprenant, who remembers early efforts to provide food through a larder established at the drop-in center, said many seniors benefit from the work of the pantry and its volunteers.
“They’re serving a vital role for our town,” she said.
Owing to need and a generous quantity of donations, the original pantry has already had to be expanded once. That need could arise again in the future.
Each week, the pantry is stocked with non-perishable food stuffs ranging from cereal to fruit juices, canned fruits and vegetables, soups and canned meats. Recipients are encouraged to take whatever they need.
To qualify, recipients need only a current utility bill, rent or mortgage bill or driver’s license to show they are Mansfield residents.
Volunteers say they receive lots of support from the community and local businesses.
Every year, the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce holds its Taste of Tri-Town event to benefit the Mansfield pantry as well as similar efforts in Norton and Foxboro.
Local schoolchildren have organized can drives and some kids have even asked parents and friends to donate food instead of buying birthday presents, say volunteers.
There’s also support from the United Way, the Mansfield Gift Fund, local supermarkets and businesses like Medtronic and Liberty Mutual that have sent volunteer workers to help clean, organize and spruce up the building.
There’s also an annual donation campaign in support of the pantry, although anyone can donate cash throughout the year through a button on Our Daily Bread’s web page.
Our Daily Bread and its volunteers’ ambitions don’t end at being a food source of last resort for the poor and elderly, however.
The organization recently aired its first public service announcement on local cable in support of local nutrition efforts. It’s message: “Let’s be the generation that ends hunger.”
