TSgt. Ken McElroy and Michael Stula, of the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes, helps unload a truck load of fresh frozen turkeys to the Westfield Salvation Army Service Center on Arnold Street in preparation of Thanksgiving Day. (File photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – The Service Center of The Westfield Salvation Army has already booked over 200 qualifying families in need of a Thanksgiving turkey and fixings, to be donated by community members.
Since the Salvation Army has reached service capacity, where can underprivileged residents go to get some help feeding their families for the holiday?
Currently there are several local food pantries which rely on the generosity of their neighbors every year.
In Southwick, Our Community Food Pantry helps families from Southwick, Tolland and Granville in need and works closely with the Westfield Food Pantry.
“We’re basically in the process now of getting signups for our clients,” said Sally Munson, director of Our Community Food Pantry. “As of today, we have 125 clients signed up for turkeys and average about 120 families that come in and shop with us a month.”
Munson said that the number of families in need is increasing year to year.
“We used to see 92, 93 families a month, but now it’s increasing,” she said. “Last month was the highest October we’ve had in three years.”
“People say ‘Oh, the economy’s getting better’ and I say ‘Well my business is booming, but unfortunately, it’s because we need food,” said Munson.
Between last September and this October, Munson said that the Southwick pantry gave away 86,000 pounds of food that the facility’s volunteers – who numbers 25 to 30 during Thanksgiving – were served to qualified residents of Southwick, Tolland and Granville.
Munson added that the organization currently doesn’t have any turkeys at their facility on College Highway, but she is confident that there will be enough birds by Thanksgiving.
“We’re looking for people to donate and we are working with a couple of churches in the area to provide us with meals, particularly with the Episcopal Church in town – they’re going to be doing a drive,” she said. “We’re also going to be getting about 10 (turkeys) from the Massachusetts Food Bank.”
Munson said the pantry is actively reaching out to regular donors, but believes that thepantry will have to purchase a few turkeys themselves this year, something they have done in the past.
“We work with the Boy Scouts, as well,” she said. “Next weekend, they (the Boy Scouts) will put out bags for the families and then the following Saturday, they go out and collect the food and bring it to the pantry and that’s how we get most of the fixings.”
High schoolers at Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional also help out in the pantry’s efforts by making freshly baked pies for families. They made over 150 pies last year.
“We distribute our food the Tuesday before Thanksgiving between 3 and 6 p.m.,” said Munson. “We set it up so that our clients get potatoes, vegetables and a turkey and a fresh baked pie to every family.”
Munson stated that the pie-baking has become a tradition of sorts at Our Community Food Pantry.
“We had a volunteer who worked at the high school to get everyone to bake pies and last year she was able to get a grant,” she said.
Sadly, the volunteer passed away last November, but the high school has vowed to continue baking for those most in need this time of year.
“We try to encourage and bring the community into our pantry,” said Munson. “We couldn’t survive here without the Westfield Food Pantry and we rely on them and purchase from them at a cheaper cost.”
“We have donations from private donors and we receive gift certificates, so we’re able to purchase food that way through local stores like Big Y and Stop N’ Shop,” she added.
