BERLIN - Berlin Family Food Pantry Manager Fran Gill has been the heart and soul of the charitable organization since she started it nine years ago this month along with two friends, Pam Donna and Catherine Waugh.
Gill was chatting with the town clerk in 2010, who mentioned to Gill that she had been getting inquiries about whether the town had a food pantry.
“We did not at that time, and I felt an inspiration to start one,” Gill said. “Knowing this was not a one woman job, I asked two friends to help put together a non-profit food pantry.”
The women opened the food pantry in the former Berlin Memorial School kitchen at the then new town government offices building at 23 Linden St. Although the pantry’s mission is to provide food for Berlin residents in need, Gill said they would not turn away “an out-of-towner” in need of help.
“When people can’t afford to buy healthy food, they should be able to rely on their neighbors to help them,” she said. “We would supply them with some food and help them find a pantry that could help them on a regular basis.”
An average of 46 people a month were provided food this year from the pantry. Berlin residents in need can call Gill to make an appointment to visit the pantry when it is open – Tuesdays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
When Gill or other pantry volunteers meet people for the first time, they ask them to fill out a simple form that includes their name, address, phone number, email, number of family members living in the household, if they are receiving government assistance or using the WHEAT pantry, which the food pantry is affiliated with, and income of everyone who will receive the food to determine if it’s less than the current federal eligibility standards.
Clients are welcome to shop the pantry twice a month, accompanied by a volunteer to assist them. The volunteer has a shopping list of the quantity of items they are eligible to take. Clients fill their own reusable bags with the food they need; if there are any dietary restrictions, allergies or special needs, the pantry staff does their best to accommodate them.
“Our clients are usually amazed at the variety of foods and personal items we have, and the friendliness of the volunteers,” Gill said.
Gill said the need does increase a bit around the holiday season, and that they are grateful for the monetary donations as well as donations of food they receive from the community and from donation spots around town - including Market Basket in Hudson, part of which is technically located in Berlin and has as large bin out for donations to the pantry.
“The Hudson Food Pantry was and is a generous food source, especially with meat,” Gill said. “They have a few markets in town that help them and they offer us overflow. Some people, organizations and businesses make monetary donations. We buy what people need that is not donated, so the cash comes in handy.”
Gill said it takes a village to run the Berlin Family Food Pantry, and that village includes a number of volunteers who lend a hand on a regular basis, as well as a board of directors “who continually look for new and creative ways to involve more people as clients, volunteers, and donors”.
“This endeavor would not be possible without the many volunteers who help out,” Gill said.
Longtime Berlin resident Valerie Muldoon has been involved with the food pantry for four years and is currently the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Berlin Family Food Pantry. She also coordinates programs with the local schools to provide snacks and toiletries for students should they need them.
“Being a part of the Berlin Family Food Pantry is one of the most rewarding volunteer programs I have ever been involved with,” Muldoon said. “It keeps your perspective in check, renews your faith in the generosity of others, and allows you to work with all ages in the community.”
For information and to volunteer or donate, visit https://ift.tt/2hEhwtg, call Fran Gill at (978) 838-2508, and follow Berlin Family Food Pantry – Berlin MA on Facebook.
