CONWAY — Each month, the United Congregational Church of Conway on Whately Road takes a collection of food for the Hilltown Churches Food Pantry, an organization that collects food for the needy.
Just inside the church’s entrance is a blue wagon, which acts as a collection point where community members can anonymously donate food to the pantry, which also accepts monetary donations. On the second Sunday of the month, the church takes the collected food to the pantry’s home-base, the First Congregational Church in Ashfield.
“The wagon lives there all the time. We just discover that it’s full at the end of the month,” said the church’s pastor, the Rev. Candice Ashenden. She also said that monetary donations “translate into much more food from the Food Bank of Western Mass., than you could buy at a store.”
As Thanksgiving approaches, Ashenden related that giving “simple blessings is something that we’re called to do not just as members of faith, but fellow members of humanity.”
“Our church has been involved for years,” she continued, noting that the church was involved before she became pastor about 13 years ago. “We’ve only been a member of the board for the past five or six years.”
According to a newsletter sent out by the Hilltown Churches Food Pantry, over the past year the pantry has served about 112 households, which translates into over 400 individuals.” The letter relates that the pantry is adding “new families almost every week,” and highlights that they spent “90 percent of each dollar donated directly on food. Since our last appeal, we have provided over 109,000 pounds of food to the 11 communities that we serve.”
“As far as the number of folks we feed annually, we had 102 families come through two weeks ago; that accounts for about 500 individuals,” said Pat Thayer, the pantry’s director. “We do this every two weeks all year. It’s often the same families each time but we have seen an increase in the number of new families signing up each time.”
Those communities include Ashfield, Buckland, Charle-mont, Colrain, Conway, Hawley, Heath, Monroe, Plainfield, Rowe and Shelburne.
Ashfield’s town website relates that “the only requirement for joining the food pantry is proof of residency in one of these 11 towns and a simple statement of need. There are no income requirements. If you need food, please come and sign up.”
After food is collected from the organization’s collaboration of six churches, some of which is purchased from the Food Bank of Western Mass., it’s distributed to people in need from the First Congregational Church in Ashfield every other Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m.
“We get most of our food from the Food Bank of Western Mass in Hatfield; largely it is free,” Thayer continued. “We distributed about 100,000 pounds of food from the Food Bank this year as well as milk from Nolan’s Neighbors, who sells it to us at cost. There have been many local food drives where the food comes directly to us, area farmers and neighbors who plant an extra row or two for us. We are able to provide lots of fresh produce throughout most of the year.”
The website notes that in 2015, the pantry “gave out 85,616 pounds of food to those in need. We spend 96 to 98 percent of our budget directly on food.”
“We really believe as a church that it’s part of our mission to reach out to the community in any way we can. We’re aware that there are many people in our community that struggle with hunger. One way that we can reach out is to provide food and a well-balanced diet.”
Around the holiday season, Ashenden said the Conway church “reaches out to all the surrounding communities … with an appeal for donations and money.”
“The reality is there is enough food to go around; many people who live in abundance sometimes get locked into that mind set and forget that there’s enough to share,” she continued. “It’s our belief as a church that when we have something to share, that’s what we’re called to do.”
In light of the Thanksgiving holiday, she said “gratitude is one of those things that the more you feel it, the more you’re called to action.”
Donations to the pantry can be sent to: 1st Congregational Church, Main St., Rt. 116, P.O. Box 161 Ashfield, MA 01330.
For questions about the pantry, email Thayer at rncappy@gmail.com.
Food is distributed from the pantry every other Tuesday from 3 to 6 p.m. from the downstairs of the First Congregational Church in Ashfield.