Newtown Food Pantry Helps About 95 Families

An outpouring of gifts of nonperishable food this holiday season has benefited residents who frequent the Newtown Food Pantry.

Located in Town Hall South behind the Police Department on Main Street, the food pantry has served early 100 families this holiday season with food and gifts for children.

“People struggling with low incomes have come in and picked out Christmas gifts,”  Ann Piccini, social services director, said. “Single moms with up to five kids have been receiving food.”

The number of families seeking help, usually ranging from 50 to 70 per month, increases to about 95 during the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day period, she said.

While the director spoke about the program one afternoon last week, youngsters wanting to help the less fortunate brought in food donations.

Tucker Depuy, 9, a fourth grader at Hawley School, donated 200 cans of food he collected as part of a good citizen project at the school.

“All the kids had a project to do,” his mother, Nancy Depuy, said. “Tucker chose to collect food for the pantry.”

A little while later, Dylan Jones, 18, a high school student, brought in a large quantity of canned goods and other nonperishable food he had collected at the town library. 

Despite all the donations that fill several shelves, Piccini said soups are still needed, because they are often requested.

“We have plenty of pasta and canned vegetables, but we always need chicken soup in particular,” she said. “We need food donations continually because of the demand.”

She said the pantry has also benefited from a toy drive conducted by high school students, winter hats and mittens collected by the Police Department, and food collected by Newtown postal workers.

The pantry, an affiliate of the Salvation Army, can use money collected in kettles by army bell ringers in town during the holiday season to buy food commodities, Piccini said.

She said the Newtown Fund donates baskets of food for the pantry to distribute to the needy. Also, the pantry receives commodities, such as frozen chicken or canned tuna fish, from the state food reserve.

During the past 20 years she has conducted the pantry program, Piccini has seen people who made donations come to seek help themselves after they lost their jobs or other misfortunes befell them. On the other hand, people who once came for food are now making donations, expressing gratitude and sharing because their lives have improved, she said.

Residents who have benefited from the town’s social services, such as a mother with a son who had a drug problem, sometimes donate to the pantry out of gratitude for the help they have received, she said.

“Newtown is a wonderful town for people in need,” Piccini said. “Its residents are always willing to help.”