By Sadie Ensana | Community News Service
The Waterbury Area Food Shelf reopened as the Waterbury Common Market on Wednesday, August 2.
It’s a short move as the popular food pantry will occupy a larger space at 57 South Main Street where it has been located since 1995.
“In June, we had a record 135 visits,” said Rev. Peter Plagge of the Waterbury Congregational Church who is on the board of the nonprofit Community Action Service Team that oversees the organization.
Community Action Service Team records show that the food shelf began in a closet at the Congregational Church before it moved to the parsonage building belonging to the Wesley United Methodist Church. It hired its first part-time director in 2008. It experienced a significant uptick in demand after Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011. More recently the clientele has increased again, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic leading to the need for more space.
The new rooms for the market in the front of the building are almost three times the size of the current food shelf space located in the rear. “When the Himalayan Cataract Project moved out of the space in front of our building at the end of 2022, we were able to jump on that opportunity, and now are able to use the whole space,” explained director Sara Whitehair.
The organization is now set to rent the entire first floor to set up food displays where clients can browse, and volunteer staff along with Whitehair can work along with space for storage and a kitchen, Whitehair said. The current space is tight and full and could only support two people inside the shopping area at a time.
The main entrance once the move is complete will be through the building’s front door, rather than around the back, Whitehair said, making the new market more visible from the street and welcoming. “This is a very exciting move for us, and we’re looking forward to having more space and a bright, open shopping experience for people,” she said.
To prepare for the expansion, both the church and the food shelf team have been busy. The building needed a new electric circuit breaker panel in the basement and an overall upgrade of its electrical system on the first floor. Thanks to the generosity of a donor who installed two heat pumps in the space, the expanded food shelf will be a lot cooler in the summer, preventing spoilage of fresh fruits, vegetables, and bread on hot days.
“This will make a big difference in the food shelf keeping our food fresher for longer,” Whitehair said.
Along with the expansion, the operation starting next week will go by the name Waterbury Common Market, a decision made, Whitehair said, to lessen the stigma of using the services a food shelf offers.
“Now people can say, ‘I’m going to the market,’ and they don’t have to specify that they’re going to a food shelf or which market they’re going to,” said Whitehair. “We are hopeful that more people will realize that needing help with putting food on their table isn’t a bad thing. Even with decent jobs, many of us live paycheck to paycheck and need help from time to time. Whether it’s a one-time visit to our market, or two visits a month, we want everyone to feel welcome to come here when they need us.”
Food shelf managers want to remind people that their services are open to everyone in the community. The pantry provides food to families and individuals in Waterbury and surrounding towns including Duxbury, Bolton, Stowe, Middlesex and Moretown.
Groceries come free of charge. Whitehair said clients do not need to show any residency information. A one-time form to attest to an overall household income level is a requirement to meet federal guidelines, she said.
Whitehair said an open house will be held in September, which is Hunger Action Month, a campaign organized by the national group Feeding America. The event will introduce the new space, explain how the market works, and what it needs to operate. For example, Whitehair noted that the operation is always looking for new volunteers. With the new space will come a push to recruit new volunteers. With additional help, Whitehair said one goal may be to expand hours of operation to accommodate people’s work schedules. “I’ve always considered being open a night on a weekday,” she said.
The market will still be accepting food and monetary donations after the expansion, of course.
In addition to nonperishable food items (unexpired and unopened), it carries household paper and cleaning products, personal care items such as soaps, shampoo, toothpaste, and feminine hygiene items. There’s also a rotating selection of fresh foods including breads, eggs, fruits and vegetables. Along with donated items, Whitehair purchases food from the Vermont Food Bank with monetary contributions from supporters in the community. And because the Community Action Service Team is a nonprofit, cash donations are tax-deductible.
This also is the time of year, the food shelf is happy to accept homegrown vegetables and fruits from community members as well. “Got extra garden veggies? We will happily take them to distribute to our neighbors,” Whitehair said.
Unfortunately, the food shelf will not be stocking shelves with its own produce this year, Whitehair said. Recent flooding in downtown Waterbury inundated the backyard garden, leaving the plants unusable. Fortunately, though, floodwater did not damage the food shelf space. The building’s basement took on several inches of water, causing minimal disruption, she said.
Hours will remain unchanged: Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon, and Wednesdays, 3 to 5 p.m.
Shoppers can park on the street in front of the building, Whitehair said. Anyone who needs easier access than the front stairs may still use the back entry and ring the doorbell. Staff will be on site to assist shoppers as well, Whitehair said.
Community News Service is a collaboration with the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.
