HOLLISTON – The Pantry Shelf has moved.
“It’s much more central,” said Keely Krantz, vice president of the pantry’s board of directors. “We have already noticed an uptick in drop-by donations. …. People can find us much more easily in the new space.”
The Holliston Pantry Shelf, which serves about 400 people, moved this week from Water Street to its new location at 73 Charles St.
The board looks over its options each year, board president Stephen Bradford said, but this time around Charles Street jumped out as a contender to staying put.
“This was the location we came up with,” Bradford said. “And we’re pretty happy that we did.”
The new space was custom-designed, with local contractors volunteering materials and labor to install flooring, walls, and lighting to the board’s specifications.
It’s about the same size as the previous pantry site, but better arranged, Krantz said, making it easier and more efficient to stock and find items.
“In the last space we were really spread out amongst a number of different rooms,” Krantz pointed out.
The board isn’t releasing the budget for the move and renovations, but Krantz said community donations meant that most of the cost was covered.
At least 15 local companies, several based in Holliston, volunteered and donated materials. The Holliston High School hockey team and the local Lions Club helped on moving day.
“In the Holliston community, it just shows itself every day,” Bradford said, of the pantry’s motto “Neighbors helping neighbors.” “Not just with the businesses and the individuals, but the organizations and the churches in the town all doing their part to help our neighbors out.”
The pantry is run by volunteers and funded by donations. Clients can also shop for their own items. Krantz said Progresso soups, paper towels, snacks for children, tuna, and peanut butter are always popular.
“Whatever people like to keep in their own homes is what we’d really like to be able to offer our shoppers,” she said.
Anyone looking to help the food pantry, outside of donations, can head to http://ift.tt/2Bioa3Y for ideas. The website also includes a link to ideas for children to help, from holding their own drives, to making “birthday bags” for fellow children, to becoming a “Pantry Kid Philanthropist.”
Alison Bosma can be reached at 508-626-3957 or abosma@wickedlocal.com. Find her on Twitter at @AlisonBosma.
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