Moretown residents may have noticed a new food and toiletries pantry for residents who need support, located behind the Moretown Town Office, but who’s behind it?
The simple answer is from the new Local Service Committee, a committee that meets monthly. Committee members Cherilyn Brown, Sasha Elwell-Badore, Michelle Beard, Deborah Feldman and Mary Moulton came together to bring everyday necessities to the little free pantry, which is also stocked by other Moretown residents.
“We just want to get the word out there for Moretown residents that it’s here for anybody that needs help,” said town clerk and committee member Cherilyn Brown.
The committee was first brought up as an idea at the last Moretown Town Meeting and became an official committee this spring. The pantry is not the first project the committee has had a helping hand in. Other projects had volunteers help build a shed, get services for a hot water heater and one resident received heating wood.
“We’re basically around to help guide people to the services of what they may need,” said Brown.The free pantry was put up for neighbors on the first of September and is filled with donations from neighbors and the committee. Shaw’s Supermarket donated $25 to the pantry. The committee asks that if people leave food that they bring nonperishables to the town office. Depending on hours and weather, if the office is closed individuals should leave donations on the deck to preserve them from rain.market donated $25 to the pantry.
The pantry will operate year-round; the committee is just starting out with a single pantry and seeing how it goes before adding any others around the town. The committee has also asked other local Valley businesses if they would contribute items to the pantry.
“People who need things, there’s diapers, there’s food, there’s toiletries – anything that anyone’s going to need. If there’s something that someone does need they can let us know and we can try and get it. We can’t guarantee it, but we can try,” said Brown.
Anyone who needs specific items for support can contact any of the committee members or go to the town office.
