Food Share in need of donations during holidays

PRESCOTT – There’s never a good time to be hungry.

Yet there are people in Prescott and Nevada County who wonder where their next meal is coming from, or when they’ll get their next meal. This includes adults, children and the elderly.

The local Food Share does what it can to help, but there’s a limit to its resources. In fact, the shelves at the food pantry are getting close to becoming bare – but the need not only doesn’t diminish, it continues to rise.

LaShelle Hamilton, director of the Food Share, said the entity served 450-500 people on an average month, though it’s only open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. “We’re getting new clients all the time,” she said. “We’ve gotten 15-20 in the last month.”

While the pantry looks and applies for grants, these take time and there’s no guarantee of the pantry getting them. It also gets government food commodities, which helps. Donations are always welcome whether they’re in the form of food or cash. Hamilton said the pantry also accepts hygiene items, such as toothpaste, shampoo, bath soap, deodorant, etc., as these help people feel better about themselves.

Different groups do food drives, she said, and the 4H Club recently brought in a load of canned goods. An uptick in donations is expected for the holiday season, she added, as the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce asks for the donation of canned goods as admission to Breakfast with Santa.

“We need everything,” she said. One of the primary needs is canned goods that haven’t expired and dried goods, such as beans and rice. Hamilton said there’s no such thing as too much macaroni and cheese. She added the pantry could also use children’s food, but is leery about taking meat.

She reminds the public the food share’s reason for existence isn’t to provide people with month’s worth of groceries, but is to supplement the food budget for individuals and families.

There are several faithful volunteers working at the pantry, helping people get what they need. However, like mac and cheese, there’s no such thing as too many volunteers. Hamilton said people can volunteer when their schedule permits, even if it’s only one day a month.

The pantry has a special program for clients 60 and older, as those meeting the financial guidelines get more commodities. But, she added, the pantry received 90 boxes of commodities and there’s more than 100 elderly clients. The government cheese and peanut butter are popular items.

During the week of Thanksgiving, the pantry will be open Monday and Tuesday. Hamilton reminds everyone the pantry is a 501(c)3 organization and all donations are tax deductible.