Oneonta churches pitch in to feed hungry this winter

The closure of a food pantry in Oneonta has sparked a call for greater attention to providing food to the area's needy during the winter.

The pantry had been operated by Opportunities for Otsego, a non-profit organization that provides crisis intervention, child development, housing, an emergency shelter and other services to the community's needy.

"Since there were three [pantries] in the community already, we felt it was better for us to use our resources to deal with impending fuel emergencies," said Opportunities for Otsego president Dan Maskin.

Religious effort

The three remaining food pantries are located at the Salvation Army, St. James Episcopal Church and St. Mary's Catholic Church.

Mary Donovan, parish secretary at St. Mary's, assists in the operation and processing of the parish's pantry, which is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. It survives primarily from donations by parishioners and support from the regional food bank.

In November, the pantry served 40 households, including 40 children and 87 adults. Five to ten new families are added to the roster each month.

Donations

Since the cold months began, she said, parishioners -- including seniors' groups, Boy Scouts, college students and Sunday Mass-goers -- have increased their donations to the pantry.

"We ask our parishioners to keep our pantry well-stocked, and the food donations have picked up," she said.

Food bank

Opportunities for Otsego will continue to operate the food bank that supplies St. Mary's and the other food pantries in Oneonta, as well as 27 other pantries and other sites throughout Otsego County.

It will also continue a grocery co-op buying program, a holiday basket and adopt-a-family program, and the "Care-A-Van" program, founded to bring bread and produce to various sites throughout the community.

Catholic Charities of Delaware and Otsego Counties is also providing emergency assistance.

(Oneonta's churches and community organizations host "The Lord's Table," at St. James' Episcopal Church, which provides meals on weekday afternoons, and "Saturday's Bread," which runs Saturdays at the First United Methodist Church.)

(12/15/05) [[In-content Ad]]