Spotlight On: The Wellesley Food Pantry

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The Wellesley Food Pantry will soon take part in its biggest fundraiser of the year: Scouting for Food.

Wellesley Patch asked Cynthia Scott, the pantry’s president, a few questions about this crucial service in town:

How many does the pantry serve?

We are currently serving 413 households, for a total of 452 individuals (although this number frequently fluctuates as people go on or off our register).

Who does it serve?

A third of the individuals are age 60 or older, a third are 18 or younger, a third in between.

Who can use the pantry?

We are available to Wellesley residents in need. Approximately 70 percent of the households served live in public housing.

When is your busiest time? When are you most in need of donations?

We are always busy, but are most in need of food in the summer -- when there are no food drives and people are away and donations fall very low -- and early fall.

Wellesley is an affluent town. Are people surprised to learn that there is a segment of the population that needs the assistance of the food pantry?

We have had much more publicity in the past few years, so there seem to be far fewer people surprised to learn Wellesley has a food pantry -- although there are still some. Our numbers have been fairly stable over the past few years.