By Marcia Parnell
It’s an informal network that succeeds because each player digs a little deeper, makes another phone call, thinks creatively and asks another question in a polite and thoughtful way. This is how the team of volunteers I met with do community outreach in Becket. The neighborly network includes Pastor Bill Mulholland and Associate Pastors Nancy Shaw and Kathy Vsetecka, food pantry volunteers, Council on Aging representatives, Town Hall staff, police officers and concerned citizens. The background and experience of the individuals runs the gamut from pastoral work, education, grant writing, public service, small business ownership, municipal government, budgeting and finance. Working like a team, these folks figure out who may be in need and do everything they can to get it for them, or as one volunteer explained, “It’s the unity of people out doing things for others… to meet people and take care of their needs.”
It started out as the Becket/Washington Food Pantry in 2000 in the parish building at the Federated Church in Becket. Today it’s the staging area for community outreach, where the work done and needs met go well beyond food and address both the Becket and Washington communities. A veteran and Food Pantry customer who had no running water or way to cook food had his water pipes repaired and a new stove delivered to his home. He also got help completing the paperwork required to collect the disability income he was entitled to but had been unable to apply for on his own. A mother out of diapers for her sick child had a supply delivered to her home because she couldn’t get out to get them herself. A family with a seemingly insurmountable tax bill received some financial assistance and budgeting guidance to help them stick to a payment schedule in the future. An out-of-service car owned by a Food Pantry client that had been used to shuttle a number of clients to the Pantry had its rear windshield replaced and was made roadworthy again. A woman left stranded at the emergency room in Pittsfield during the night was picked up and driven home to Becket.
Needs may be identified through day-to-day conversations or phone calls—with most coming into Town Hall or the Food Pantry—and are then shared with those best able to address a particular situation. Resources to address the various needs come through volunteer time, donations and public health and safety grants. Connections with other organizations doing business in Becket help too. For example, several Food Pantry volunteers also volunteer at the Berkshire Mobile Farmers Market in Becket, giving them a chance to tell market clients about the Food Pantry. Leftover food from the Farmers Market is donated to the Food Pantry. Camp Watitoh also filled any food gaps the pantry had with the extra it had at the end of the camp season. Town Hall staff are managing the Annual Winter Sock and Mitten Drive with all donations going to the Food Pantry for distribution. The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission is a source of grants but it also looks to the local network to help spread the word about various health and safety resources it offers residents. The overall process, according to Pastor Bill, “…is like collaboration on steroids.”
As great a resource as the Food Pantry is for residents facing food insecurity and other challenges, volunteers and Town staff believe that not enough people are aware of it or how easy it is to participate. The only information they ask for are first names and the number of family members in the household. They do not ask for income verification or any other documentation. Clients are given a four-page order form listing the wide array of food options to choose from, including two meat options. And if you’re thinking just boxed pasta, spaghetti sauce and canned beans, you’d be wrong because it’s more like a fully stocked small grocery store. So if you’ve hesitated yourself, or know others that may not be aware, take advantage and spread the word about this potentially life-changing service which operates from 9 to 11 am the first and third Saturdays of each month.
On the other hand, if your food and other needs are well met and you’d like to contribute, Food Pantry Manager Kathy Vsetecka asks that you make a financial donation since food buying and Pantry volunteers are already well-covered. The Pantry is in need of a new refrigerator and a ventilation unit for its storeroom. Checks may be made out to the Becket Federated Church Food Pantry, PO Box 306, Becket MA 01223.
