With Thanksgiving just a week away, the demand for turkeys at the South Portland Food Cupboard is almost more than the volunteers can handle.
Sybil Riemensnider, the pantry director, said last week the Food Cupboard gave out 51 turkeys, but that was not enough to meet the needs of local clients.
That’s why she was thrilled that Pape Subaru and radio station Coast 93.1 FM teamed up on Saturday, Nov. 14, to hold a turkey drop to benefit the pantry.
By mid-day, generous locals had dropped off 28 turkeys, which, Riemensnider said, would make a huge difference to the families that rely on the Food Cupboard.
The pantry serves families from South Portland, Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth and surrounding communities and strives “to offer nutritious foods … to serve with compassion and caring (and to) treat each client with respect while bringing hope and encouragement to their lives,” according to its website.
The Food Cupboard, which is located at 130 Thadeus St., is open every Thursday from 8:30-11 a.m., except for holidays.
Once a month, qualifying families can stock up on staple items, such as peanut butter, pasta and beans, as well as choose from a variety of fresh produce, including meat, dairy products and fruits and vegetables.
To qualify, the family income of clients must fall below 150 percent of the regional poverty level, which for a family of two is an annual income of $23,895 or less and for a family of four is an annual income of $36,375 or less.
While Riemensnider is always thankful for donations of food, she said the food pantry could actually do more with monetary donations, based on its relationships with local merchants, farms and the Good Shepherd Food-Bank based in Auburn.
In addition to Saturday’s turkey drop, she said, Boy Scouts in South Portland also collected non-perishable food items from their friends and neighbors this past weekend, which should also help fill the pantry’s shelves.
“We usually get 25 to 30 boxes full of food from the Boy Scouts and it’s a real treat working with them,” Riemensnider said.
She said the food pantry routinely serves between 60 and 65 families each week, but last week 78 families came seeking holiday help.
Riemensnider is expecting another big crowd on Thursday, Nov. 19, the last time the Food Cupboard will be open before the holiday is celebrated.
Riemensnider is already looking forward to the Christmas season. She said the pantry offers an adopt-a-family program for the holidays and the pantry will also be collecting items like mittens, scarves, warm socks and children’s books for clients.
The Food Cupboard, which is run entirely by volunteers, except for a part-time warehouse manager, “truly serves all demographics,” according to Riemensnider.
Mark Andrews, a longtime volunteer, said the clients the food pantry serves are “just trying their best to get along with not enough money.”
Andrews and his wife, Anne, recently retired from their posts at the Food Cupboard, but for the past 12 years the couple was really the face of the pantry, with Mark greeting clients at the door every week and Anne doing intake.
Riemensnider said the couple was “lovely” and “delightful” and the clients miss them already.
“People are coming in and asking ‘Where’s Mark?’” she said.
Andrews saw his role at the pantry as “making the clients comfortable and not talking down to them, but just listening.”
He and his wife “enjoyed every minute” of their time volunteering at the Food Cupboard, Andrews said, adding that the “best part was interacting with the clients – to get them talking and to learn about them.”
Andrews said people should know how hard the volunteers work, with many serving five days a week picking up food and stocking the shelves.
Overall, he said, the pantry “relies on the goodwill of those in the community to keep operating.”
Sybil Riemensnider, director of the South Portland Food Cupboard, shows off a donated turkey during a turkey drop event on Saturday at Pape Subaru.
Anne and Mark Andrews, longtime volunteers at the South Portland Food Cupboard, recently retired from their posts with the nonprofit.
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