Hundreds of families that might otherwise have gone without will be able to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner Thursday thanks to the Shawano Area Food Pantry and Resource Center — and those who support it.
For the fourth year in a row, the pantry has set aside the week solely for the distribution of turkeys and all the trimmings that typically go along with the holiday meal.
More than 300 needy families filed through the pantry to pick up Thanksgiving offerings Monday and Tuesday, and there was no let-up in traffic Wednesday morning.
“It will be over 400 (families) when we’re done,” said Flo Withers, SAFPARC director. “I couldn’t imagine this many families without Thanksgiving.”
Withers said fewer families turned out for the Thanksgiving items compared to last year, but the numbers that rely on the pantry in general have significantly increased.
“The numbers we see weekly has really grown,” she said. “We averaged in the 30s, now we’re averaging in the 40s in a day. And we’re open five days a week.”
Withers said the numbers picked up again in November when cuts to food stamp benefits enacted by Congress went into effect.
The cuts have worsened the financial situation for many people who have only been able to find part-time jobs or aren’t making enough money to make ends meet, Withers said.
“Underemployment is so bad, you can’t make enough to eat and pay your utility bill,” she said.
The food pantry is usually the first place families turn.
“It’s easier for us to get food than for the charities to get money to pay utility bills,” Withers said.
The pantry suspended its normal food distribution this week to focus on Thanksgiving. There would be no way to do both, Withers said.
Families were able to get just about everything they need for Thanksgiving dinner, including whole turkeys for larger families and half turkeys for smaller ones, as well as green beans, corn, yams, cranberries, mashed potatoes, stuffing, bakery, cantaloupe, dessert and even whipped cream to top it off.
All of the items came from the community, either through individual donations or the group efforts of schools and community organizations.
“The schools and the organizations have come through absolutely terrific,” Withers said, as has the community in general. “It’s kind of mind-boggling because it just kind of comes from everywhere.”
Withers said the donations and the support are not really a surprise given how generous the community is.
“It’s a giving community,” she said. “It just amazes me how giving it is.”
That willingness to give has supported not only the food pantry, but other community efforts such as Coats for Kids and Toys for Tots, Withers noted.
“It just amazes me how this community comes through,” she said. “They really need a big thank you. There’s no way you can thank them enough, because without them we’re nothing.”
Also due for thanks are the pantry volunteers, Withers said. A crew of 12 was on hand to help out on Wednesday morning.
“We definitely couldn’t do it without all these volunteers,” Withers said.
The pantry, at 218 E. Richmond St., is open Monday through Friday from 9-11:30 a.m.
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