Surge In Donations Needed For ‘Helping Neighbors’ - Campaign For Family Pantry May Fall Short

HARWICH – It’s starting to show now in the lines of clients that queue up before the window opens at the Family Pantry of Cape Cod.

With the summer nearing an end and seasonal jobs beginning to dwindle, more and more people are asking for help putting food on the table — sometimes for the first time in their lives. 

 With federal food programs facing drastic cuts and other parts of the social safety net falling victim to budget reductions, it could be a season of unprecedented hunger on Cape Cod, officials say. Family Pantry Executive Director Paul Lonergan said there’s a need for donations in the summer to help bridge the gap until the holiday giving season. He thanked Cape Cod Chronicle readers who tear out the form printed on the Helping Neighbors advertisement and send it in along with a check, and often, a note of thanks.

 “We have a scrapbook for each year, and [there’s an amazing] number of folks that tear off that bottom of the page and fill it out and send in their donation,” he said. With each donated dollar purchasing four nutritious meals, “If you think you don’t have enough to donate, that $10 or $5, it goes a very long way,” he said. 

 For one reason or another, this summer’s donations have been lagging. For the first time ever, The Chronicle’s “Summertime Helping Neighbors” campaign is in danger of missing its fundraising target despite the availability of a dollar-for-dollar matching grant. The campaign ends on Labor Day, Sept. 1.

 “The last time the fund drive fell short was in 2019, but donors at least didn’t leave any of the matching grants on the table,” Cape Cod Chronicle Publisher Henry Hyora said. This year, the campaign’s goal was set at $104,000 — precisely the amount covered by matching grants — and it is still in danger of falling short.

 “It would be a real shame to leave that money on the table,” he said. “Looking at the headlines each week, we know that this is a year we’re all really going to have to dig deep.”

There’s plenty of evidence that the problem of food insecurity on Cape Cod is worsening. Despite the Family Pantry’s outreach efforts — including free bulk food distribution days, satellite pantries at Cape Cod Community College campuses, and a mobile pantry that visits local senior centers and child care facilities — even more communities on the Lower Cape are expanding existing food pantries and opening new ones. Even with more resources available to help feed Cape Cod’s hungry, the demand for help at the Family Pantry is climbing steadily, Lonergan said.

 “We do not turn anybody away that comes for food,” he said. “When a client comes in, we are going to serve that client. And they come from all walks of life; they could be someone that has had an [unfortunate] incident happen in their life.” With so many families on the financial edge on Cape Cod, a single financial mishap like a car breakdown, a burst pipe or a medical expense can throw off their budget. And compared to some bills that need to be paid, the grocery bill might otherwise be seen as discretionary spending. For people like this, the Family Pantry offers a temporary hand up to get through a rough patch, Lonergan said.

For others, coming to the Family Pantry every 10 days is a financial necessity. Often, these folks are working multiple jobs and still have trouble making ends meet.

A client recently handed out thank-you notes to volunteers on a Saturday shift. One such note read, “Thank you for treating me with kindness and dignity.”

To contribute to The Chronicle's Summertime Helping Neighbors campaign, click here. You can also mail a tax-deductible contribution to The Family Pantry, 133 Queen Anne Rd., Harwich, MA 02645, or call 508-432-6519 to donate by credit card.