OLEAN — Over the past eight months, the Olean Food Pantry on Leo Moss Drive has seen a 57% increase in the amount of people requesting food, produce and other amenities.
While the pantry has been able to provide food, along with fresh produce supplied by its gardens, high tunnel and shares from Canticle Farm, more donations are always appreciated, said DB Busan, warehouse manager for the pantry.
“We have like 100 cars lined up on Mondays and Fridays” to pick up food, Busan said of the curbside pickup of food that is required because of the pandemic. “We just load boxes of food in the cars.”
As a result of the increased number of people in need of help, which now stands at a total of 10,381 individuals served from January through August, Busan said the pantry is in need of donations of food and money. In comparison, at the end of the 2019, the 12-month total was 11,020 people served.
“We have been distributing boxes of produce from the governor’s Farmers to Families program, so that’s been good,” she added. In addition, the pantry receives generous donations of food from BJ’s Wholesale Club in Olean.
“So the community has been really, really good to us,” Busan continued. “But it’s been very sobering because I’ve seen people that I’ve never seen before — and people that I personally know” and are now standing in line for food.
Busan believes the length of the pandemic has hit the resources of some people who may have had a “cushion” of money to live on while out of work, but have watched their personal funds become depleted.
Therefore, in addition to monetary donations, she said produce, and especially vegetables from private gardens in the community, are very welcome.
“Bring us your zucchini, we will take it — everybody has zucchini they don’t need,” she said with a laugh. “And we work with our customers a lot (regarding) nutrition, right now it can help the immune system. Goodness knows what this virus is doing, but if you eat right and take care of yourself, you probably have a better shot” at avoiding or defeating it.
Walter Schultz, manager of the gardens and high tunnel at the pantry, said the property has produced quite a large produce harvest for its recipients this summer.
“We hope to get a couple thousand pounds of vegetables” at the end of harvest season, he said. “We hand it out to everybody.”
On a final note, Busan said the pantry is also in need of paper supplies that include diapers, feminine hygiene products and paper towels along with laundry detergent and cleaning supplies.
“We need just about everything,” she concluded.
For more information on helping the pantry, visit the website www.oleanfoodpantry.org or call 372-4989.
