BELCHERTOWN – Through its Helping Hands Food Pantry, Belchertown United Church of Christ serves those in need in Belchertown and the surrounding area with food and other supplies.
Amy Eyler-Pelletier, who runs the pantry, said it has been open for more than 20 years.
“We have been open since 1999 and it is connected with Belchertown United Church of Christ and one of the members thought the ministry was needed to help feed people in need in the community so they took it launched,” she said.
While the number of people served varies by month, Eyler-Pelletier said that number averages between 80 and 150 people each month during its monthly distribution, which usually takes place on the third Thursday of the month from 4:30 p.m. 6 p.m.: 30 p.m.
Eyler-Pelletier said the pantry is a member of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
“At the moment they are located outside of Hatfield so we can buy food there – canned goods to produce sometimes depending on what they have,” she said.
During the summer, Eyler-Pelletier said some residents donate fresh produce.
“We are fortunate to have community gardens from other community members, especially in the summer, who donate produce to us, which is greatly appreciated as it is not always the cheapest thing for people to do. people,” she said.
One of the biggest areas of donations sought by the pantry is in paper products.
“Especially with the COVID [-19] we’ve gone through all the masks and cleansers and that sort of thing to try and help people with those more expensive items. The toilet paper was a big paper at first. I literally had someone hug me when I brought them a box of Kleenex because the paper products were so hard to come by,” she said.
In terms of donations, Eyler-Pelletier said the pantry accommodates a variety of products.
“We are accepting donations primarily of non-perishable items because with personal product donations I cannot guarantee they were kept at the correct temperature. Which was very helpful and what our customers really liked being able to get , it’s a lot of household items, laundry detergent and personal hygiene items. The ones I can’t get from the food bank, so these donations are really helpful,” she said.
In addition to non-perishable food and household items, the pantry also accepts cereals, breakfast foods, and kid-friendly foods. Eyler-Pelletier said the pantry accepts donations when the church office is open, which is usually Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In December, Eyler-Pelletier said the pantry also houses a donation tree for children in need during the holidays.
“Our church members and community members will adopt – all anonymous of course – children whose families need extra help during the holidays,” she said.
Eyler-Pelletier praised the community of Belchertown and its generosity during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Belchertown community has been amazing with their generosity and donations, we are very lucky. It’s been such a stressful time for so many people who at the start of this job loss or really struggling and seeing that people without expecting any kind of reward or recognition were just giving away the resources that they felt they didn’t need to help out on others,” she said. “It’s been really amazing and very reassuring to see and to be able to help facilitate.”
Eyler-Pelletier said everyone is welcome to pick up food and supplies during the distribution days.
“People sometimes think that because we’re in Belchertown, only people from Belchertown can come, but we serve anyone who shows up,” she said.
In addition to monthly collection hours, Eyler-Pelletier said the pantry also makes about 17 deliveries around the city each month.
“We pack a bag of some hearty groceries, any type of produce or frozen meats sometimes that I can get from the food bank and we also try to do an assortment of household items,” Eyler-Pelletier said.
Eyler-Pelletier said anyone seeking help can drop by on any of the distribution days or can call the church office at 323-7442. “If you feel like you need help, just show up,” she said.
For more information, those interested can check out The Helping Hands Cupboard Food Pantry on BUCC’s Facebook page.
Belchertown United Church of Christ is located at 18 Park St.
