Easton Food Pantry Volunteers Working Harder Than Ever Before

Easton Food Pantry founder and director Ken Wood made an appearence at a Board of Selectmen last week to present the town with a certificate of appreciation for its support in the endevours of him, his wife Mary Jane and the volunteers.

For the board, though, the exchange seemed a little backwards.

"Shouldn't this be the other way around?" Board of Selectmen member John Haederle said.

Wood updated the board on the Easton Food Pantry's progress. Since Wood founded the pantry 21 years ago after an Easton family lost its home as a result of a fire, the organization has grown tremendously, he said.

Currently, the organization is housed in the basement of the town offices.

But, this year has been particularly busy, Wood said - partly as a result of the economic downturn.

According to Wood, the pantry served 40-50 families last year. This year, Wood, his wife, Mary Jane, and his volunteers are serving 70-80 families. Sometimes, he said, 90 families are served a week. During Thanksgiving and Christmas, the pantry was serving over 100 families.

As a result, the food pantry has had to expand from one to two days a week. Beginning this month, the pantry is open to families with last names beginning with A-L on Mondays and families with last names beginning with M-Z on Tuesdays.

Wood said the pantry has gotten a lot of help and extra donations with the increased traffic this year. He said Roche Brothers and have donated food. He also said has offered extra space for storage.

"Its definitely an all-together town situation," he said last week. "We want to thank businesses in town. have donated bags."

Wood said residents can make monetary donations or non-perishable items. Drop-off locations can be found here.

For Board of Selectmen member John Haederle, none of the food pantry's efforts could have been accomplished without Woods and his wife Mary Jane.

"Its because of the Ken Woods of the world that the food pantry has been as successful as it’s been," Haederle said.