By the end of March, any Newtown resident needing the important kind of temporary or long-term sustenance that was available at two local food pantries will only have to make one monthly trip.

Effective March 12, the Salvation Army Food Pantry that was long maintained through Newtown Social Services will cease operations, and all its remaining stock will migrate over the next couple of weeks to the shelves of FAITH Food Pantry on Church Hill Road. The pantry’s acronym stands for Food Assistance Immediate Temporary Help.

The move is one hailed by Newtown Human Services Director Natalie Jackson, who made this one of her top goals after taking on the newly created municipal position in 2019.

“When we were in the throes of relocating our Social Service Department functions from below the police station to our new offices at [Newtown Community Center at] Fairfield Hills, we were constrained for space, so we started looking at how we were going to continue meeting the need of our food pantry clients,” Ms Jackson told The Newtown Bee during a brief meeting at the FAITH facility February 11.

After an extended review of the Social Services pantry, which was affiliated with the Newtown Salvation Army Service Unit, the logical conclusion was to approach the FAITH organization to pitch folding the two separate organizations together.

Despite its location in the shadow of (and on the same property as) St Rose of Lima Church, FAITH Food Pantry is nondenominational. Ms Jackson noted that the FAITH Food Pantry had a brand new facility with the capacity and logistical wherewithal to handle its own client base, as well as any individuals who had formerly only tapped the resources of the smaller Salvation Army operation.

“I had the opportunity to come to FAITH in the early fall of 2019 and witnessed what they were able to do, their commitment to the community, and their volunteers,” Ms Jackson said. “Their ability to deliver fresh food along with the staple nonperishable items and other household products was something we never had the capacity to do, and frankly would have been challenged to do at our [Town Hall South] site.

“And it didn’t make sense to continue splitting the community resources between two organizations doing a lot of the same work,” she added. “This way, the town can support their presence and strengthen what FAITH is, and was already, doing.

“Now the town can use its resources to promote FAITH’s schedule, any special events, and when they may have specific needs for particular stock items, and when they encounter clients that may have additional needs beyond the scope of providing food.”

Adapting To Changes

One of the biggest changes that Salvation Army pantry clients will see is a one-time monthly visit restriction, which Ms Jackson will be communicating to her agency’s visitors over the next month before the merger is complete.

“And if there’s any barriers to getting to FAITH, like transportation or timing, we’ll work with FAITH to be sure we alleviate those challenges,” Ms Jackson said. The Human Services director said there will be a dedicated page for food pantry services on her department’s page on the municipal website (newtown-ct.gov).

After meeting with Salvation Army representatives, Ms Jackson said she received a vote of confidence from statewide officials, and affirmation from the local service unit that the move will free up volunteers to devote more energy to other critical support initiatives like energy, rent, and other emergency assistance.

One of the major resources that will also migrate to the FAITH operation will be the significant replenishing that comes during the annual Postal Service Food Collection, which happens the second Saturday each May.

“Now we can use some town space and resources to assist FAITH in receiving and processing all those donations,” Ms Jackson said.

FAITH President Lee Paulsen said the merger is the latest community collaboration that will help better sustain and improve the healthy alternatives for Newtown’s hungry residents and families.

Last year, Newtown resident Sean Fitzpatrick established Real Food Share, tapping volunteers to plant and maintain a large garden in the Botsford neighborhood that would pipeline locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables to FAITH. FAITH was also the beneficiary of a holiday season food drive organized by State Senator Tony Hwang that helped increase the pantry’s dwindling stock of food.

“Once the holidays are over, we really hit a slow period of donations, while the need continues increasing,” Ms Paulsen said. “It’s frightening. But we do everything we can to make it easy for people to donate.”

Volunteer Barabara Krell said donations of funds can actually be more helpful because it permits FAITH operators to acquire the food items in greatest demand.

“And we make it really easy — there’s a donation button right on our website [newtownfoodpantry.org/], or people can just send or drop off a check,” Ms Krell said.

FAITH Vice President Jill LeBlanc said monetary donations are primarily allocated toward purchasing any fresh fruits and vegetables their clients may need, beyond anything that comes in from other donor sources.

“We don’t accept a lot of perishable donations, including meats,” she said. Specific donor guidelines can be reviewed at the FAITH website, and the pantry frequently posts immediate needs on its Facebook page.

Ms Krell and Ms LeBlanc both wanted to remind residents, local service groups, and businesses that the newly merged food pantries could be greatly helped by organizing regular, even monthly food collections.

“Businesses, faith-based groups, Scout troops, neighborhoods, even birthday parties have been great sources of donations,” Ms Krell said.

Ms Jackson hopes that, along with all the Salvation Army clients who she expects will migrate to the FAITH operation, the Salvation Army Food Pantry’s long-time donors will also continue their gracious support.

“We hope they will join us in supporting FAITH,” Ms Jackson said, “including our many anonymous donors.”

“That would be most beneficial to the families who are hungry right here in Newtown,” Ms Paulsen added. “We’re open to all Newtown residents.”