As November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds remain in flux, the Aquidneck Island community has sprung into action to ensure our neighbors have access to meals, fresh produce and pantry staples to feed their families. A number of restaurants have put giving programs in place and local businesses have begun organizing food drives and fundraisers for the resource providers in our area.
The hopeful news for those in need is a collaborative effort among multiple organizations and houses of worship that collectively provide three meals/day, every day, served at a variety of locations in Newport on a rotating monthly schedule. Several offer food pantries as well. But in a system already stretched thin, the added volume of families who will find themselves in need of food assistance absent SNAP will add significantly to local need. Our resource providers rely heavily on community support on the best economic day. The challenge will be keeping the shelves stocked and the pots on the soup kitchen stoves full.
Vicki Walsh, President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and manager of the St. Joseph Food Pantry in Newport, said the pantry is ready to assist in any and every way possible. St. Joseph’s serves lunch every Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., while its food pantry is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Walsh says the church will go even further to help, delivering food to people with disabilities, young mothers with newborns and others with limitations, and will pick up donations from those who can’t transport them to the church. “In this situation, we’ll do anything we can to accommodate whatever works for people.”
At St. Paul’s United Methodist church on Marlborough Street, dinner is served from 5 to 5:45 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. The Community Baptist Church steps up with a community meal every Saturday from 4 to 4:45 p.m. Other meal times, some weekly, others monthly or bi-monthly, are covered by The Salvation Army, the Seaman’s Institute, and by Trinity, United Baptist, St. Mary’s, Channing Memorial and First Presbyterian churches and Touro Synagogue.
The region’s most significant food resource for at risk individuals, families and seniors, is the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center. The center provides breakfast Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 9 a.m., and lunch Tues., Thurs. and Fri from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Its food pantry is open Mon. and Wed. from 10 a.m. to noon, Tues. and Fri. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wed. evening from 4 to 6 p.m.
Faced with the upcoming SNAP cut, the center hosted a food drive on Nov. 2 that yielded 8,000 lbs. of donated items. “We’ve seen overwhelming support from the community already,” said MLK Center executive director Heather Hole Strout, who added that she’s confident that the organization will manage the added demand until a resolution can be reached. But given the upcoming holiday season, that can’t come soon enough. “We do the holidays really well this time of year but have had to put a pause on it.
“And hunger doesn’t go away after this. The people who rely on SNAP don’t receive much and the need for resources is always there.”
Strout said the organization already saw a 35% increase in demand for food assistance from September to October due to rising food costs. “These are people in our community who work hard, in hotels and restaurants, as teaching assistants and CNA’s,” she said.
The RI Foundation, led by former RI congressional representative David Cicilline, has jumped in to provide $1 million in emergency grants to several organizations. In a statement released last week, the foundation said it planned to send $200,000 to the RI Community Food Bank to “immediately ramp up the food supply to its network of more than 100 food pantries and meal sites,” which includes those mentioned above, with the balance being distributed directly to other area non-profits. However, Cicilline said, “Philanthropy alone can’t fill the gap, so we’re asking the public to help keep food on the tables for our neighbors throughout the state. Our hope is that the generosity of the public and our donors will generate another $1 million to match our grant.”
“It takes a village to get through something like this,” said Strout, “and we have a wonderful community rallying together for people who have never before come in for help. It’s a real crisis, but we’re hoping it’s just short term,” she said.
WHAT TO DONATE
The most direct way to help is to donate funds directly to the organizations, to be used to fill gaps in real time as certain products run out for either meal or pantry services. But all the organizations here and many more in the broader area are more than happy to accept donations.
Food items to consider:
Pasta, rice, pasta sauce
Canned chicken, tuna, soups, vegetables, beans
Instant oatmeal, noodle cups
Shelf stable almond and oat milk
Peanut butter and jelly
Crackers and cookies
Personal/Household products to consider:
Men’s and women’s deodorant, soap, toothbrushes/toothpaste, shampoo, shaving cream, razors
Paper towels, toilet paper, sponges, dish and laundry soap, household cleaners
WHERE TO GO FOR HELP
All in need of food support at this time are welcome to take part in any of the meals offered throughout the week. These are judgement free zones, open to all. Calendars are available in the lobby at the MLK Center, or at any of the organizations or churches listed above.
Food pantries are held at The MLK Center, times as noted above; at EBCAP, twice per month, 19 Broadway in Newport on Mondays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or Thursdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or 1028 Stafford Rd. in Tiverton, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; at St. Joseph’s Church every Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon. Across the bridge, The Jamestown Community Food Pantry is open the first Tuesday of the month from 9 to 10 a.m. and every Tuesday following from 3 to 4 p.m.
Also, just announced by the Middletown Employee Wellness Committee is a food drive being held from now through 11/21 for non-perishables, with drop off locations at Middletown’s Town Hall, Public Library, Senior Center, Fire and Police depts., and Dept. of Public Works.
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