Neighbors: Poultney Food Shelf

BY KATIE SOBALSKYWhen asked why she has volunteered at the Poultney Food Shelf for almost twelve years, Kathy Hutson has difficulty expressing the fulfillment she gets out of it. “I just do it … You know sometimes when you find that one special thing, it’s like walking into a wall, and you know that you’re supposed to do that … that’s how it is for me. Hutson moved to Poultney in 1991 after spending years vacationing and camping at Lake Bomoseen. She has stayed in the community because it is exactly that, a true community.”I love this town … If you were to pick a dozen people off this street who live here and asked them if they were part of some sort of organization, whether it’s the Women’s Club or a church group, whatever, more than half would say ‘yes’ … People are active here … It’s truly a community.”It is this sort of community activism that keeps the doors to the Poultney Food Shelf open. Operating on Tuesdays from 3-5 (or by appointment), it serves residents of Poultney, Middletown Springs, and Hampton (NY). The board consists of seven members, all volunteers that have been involved in the organization in some form or another for around five years, although most even longer than that. The food shelf itself has been in existence since before 1991, but became an official non-profit in that year.The mission of any food shelf may seem fairly simple: “we make sure no one goes hungry … We are especially concerned for older folks and families with children,” Hutson says. The immediate priority is to hand out three days worth of food, which includes breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. “We help all types of people, from single individuals to single parents to families of eight or ten.” Until people have a meal in their stomach it’s hard for them to focus and improve on other aspects of their lives.But it also goes beyond just giving people meals. “Us giving them food isn’t helping them pay their bills … we also offer them better guidance,” Hutson explains. Part of the Poultney Food Shelf’s missions is to connect residents with other organizations or individuals who can help them further. Once such organization Hutson often refers residents to is BROC, which is located in Rutland. This organization assists individuals further by helping them develop skills and resources for self-sufficiency through employment opportunities.Hutson stresses the significance of the food shelf being completely a non-profit, non-sectarian organization. “We aren’t in anybody’s budget,” she says. This means that it is completely dependent on donations, whether they take the form of food, money, or time. Hutson says she is completely satisfied with the constant support from the community, from both larger businesses to simply individuals.For Thanksgiving the food shelf opened its doors on Saturday November 17 for an “Open Food Shelf” to provide residents with all the fixings for an enjoyable Thanksgiving dinner. Hutson was thrilled at the amount of food donated for this special occasion. The Poultney business VEMAS hosted a one-week food-drive competition. Fifty-one employees competed in six teams to see who could bring in the most food. The winning team’s contributions weighed in at 771 lbs, and overall VEMAS donated more than 2500 lbs to the food shelf.”We have also been very fortunate to have received several grants within the past few years,” adds Hutson. These grants have allowed the organization to expand in new ways. One grant was used to support the new Senior Outreach Program, where volunteers from the food shelf deliver food once a month directly to seniors in their own homes.However it’s often the smaller donations that reinforce the strong sense of community. From December 13-15, Green Mountain College held its own food drive, donating more than 400 lbs of food to the food shelf. These small spurts of support go a long way.While the support from the community is magnificent, Hutson admits: “It’s difficult reaching everyone who needs us … Getting them in the door is the hardest part!” She worries that there may be some sort of “stigma” in coming to a food shelf and asking for help. Shaking her head she says strongly: “There’s nothing wrong with it … there’s no reason to be hungry because of being afraid or embarrassed to come in here … everyone falls on hard times now and then … some months there are extra needs, larger bills, unanticipated expenses.”Smiling, Hutson mentions how “It’s nice when we don’t see people come back … and I don’t mean that in a bad way.” When people don’t return to the food shelf it usually means that they don’t need the assistance any more. “Over the years we’ve seen a lot of progress … former clients will return and give donations or volunteer their time.” It’s these sorts of moments that that keep Hutson volunteering.Poultney Food ShelfPO Box 96Poultney VT 05764802-287-9558

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Posted by editor_news on Dec 25, 2007 Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry