Food pantries still looking for a little help - Niagara Gazette

Food pantries still looking for a little help - Niagara Gazette

Lynn Siegfried and her crew of volunteers at the St. John de LaSalle Food Pantry are dedicated to providing nutritious foods to those in need in the Niagara Falls community, but like many food pantries, the post-holiday season has left them in need as well. 

Throughout the holidays, people are in the giving spirit, she said, with individuals as well as companies making donations to charitable organizations in their area that help get people through the season. But after the holidays, Siegfried said donations become more scarce as people start looking ahead to tax season or shift their focus toward paying down their credit cards. 

"It's a little more difficult this time of year," she said. "You never know what you're going to get, if anything." 

Donations of any and all food items are needed this time of year, but Siegfried says the pantry's mission is not only to provide clients with something to eat, but to provide food that will help its recipients stay healthy. She said the pantry is particularly in need of fresh fruits and vegetables, canned veggies with low sodium or even canned meats like tuna fish. 

She added that fresh foods are a priority, particularly now, when the City Market is closed for the winter. During the months when the farmers are present, the food pantry collects produce the farmers don't want to bring home with them, an effort that she said is typically quite successful. But when the weather gets cold and the market grows quiet, it leaves the pantry with some empty shelves. 

"We go and ask the farmers for any leftovers and we've had a good response," she said. "Most farmers are gone by Thanksgiving, some leave in October." 

Siegfried says she understands the instinct to grab the quick and easy option when it comes to preparing dinner, but added that those kinds of products can cause health problems for people down the road. So in an effort to help make it easier for clients to prepare meals with fresh and healthy ingredients, the pantry offers cooking workshops on three or four Wednesdays each month. 

The program is held in coordination with the the Cornell Cooperative Extension and focuses on making the best use of the items available in the pantry. Afterward, those in attendance are sent home prepared to try making the meal themselves. 

"They do a cooking class with items we’re trying to push in the pantry," Siegfried said. "They come up with recipes, show how to make them, people can taste them and then they take the recipe home with them. We're working toward giving them a goodie bag with some of the stuff inside (to take home)."

In addition to food donations and cooking classes, the pantry also provides other items, like paper products or toiletries. She said they coordinate with other food pantries and charitable organizations to help even out the distribution. When they're low on an item they seek outside help, or when they have an item in excess they see who else might need some of their supply. 

While the pantry is always in need of more food, Siegfried said they could always use more volunteers as well. However, she added that the folks that are serviced by the pantry are often willing to become one of its volunteers. 

"Luckily, I have a great group of people working for me and also clients that are more than willing to help if we need extra help," Siegfried said. "You get to know these people, you get to know their story, their background and a lot of them are more than willing to help because they want to give back."

While the pantry does take emergency calls, it's only generally open to the public twice a week. The pantry's hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays.

For more information, find the pantry on Facebook by searching "St. John de LaSalle Community Care Food Pantry." To contact the pantry, send an email to sjccfoodpantry@gmail.com.