The West Chester Food Cupboard has provided food assistance for low income families and individuals since March 2009.
Once a month, clients can pick up a week’s worth of groceries from the Food Cupboard, which is located at 545 East Gay Street.They have seen a 50 percent increase in new clients over the course of two years, rising from 311 households a month in 2009 to 460 households in 2011. Some clients who are on a fixed income have an ongoing need for food assistance, while others seek temporary help because a family member has lost a job or become ill. The Food Cupboard is open five days a week and just recently added an extra day to their schedule.
The West Chester Food Cupboard receives donations from both individual and corporate sponsors, as well as supermarkets, local gardeners and farms. They also receive support from federal and state food programs, from programs such as Feeding America and the Chester County Food Bank, and food drives conducted by community organizations, schools and religious institutions.
Monetary donations go toward their highest costs – rent and utilities. They only resort to buying food in true emergencies and donated gift cards are saved for much needed items (when the staff can look for sales and try to get bulk discounts). The majority of their donations come during the holiday season.
In an effort to gain more community support, The West Chester Food Cupboard has created a website and joined Facebook. One woman came in last week, on her own, and donated 125 pounds of food based on the needs they had posted on their website.
Volunteers weigh the food that comes in and keeps track of the number of bags that go out. So far in August, 24,000 pounds of food came in (keep in mind, they were giving out lots of watermelons, gallons of milk and frozen meats, which can add up quickly) and 23,000 pounds went out.
The food cupboard always welcomes donations of canned tomato products, pasta and rice, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats, juice, beans, soups, plastic bags (resealable sandwich and quart along with grocery bags), and personal care items. The most needed items can be found on their website or facebook. When it comes to donations, they will take anything and everything as long as it hasn’t already expired.
Donations can be dropped off from 9:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday and 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Donation drop-offs can also be arranged by appointment by emailing [email protected] or calling 610-344-3175.
The entire organization is volunteer-run with a few “lead volunteers” rather than designated positions. Their dedicated team of 60 volunteers give 600 hours a month to allow the cupboard to be open 15 hours a week; performing duties like picking up food, sorting and stocking food items, managing clients and completing office work. They are always looking for new volunteers, but prefer those who can help regularly or can be trained now and help out during the holidays.
Chris Adams, who has been a volunteer at the cupboard since its creation, loves being a part of the organization, “It’s a great place and it’s very rewarding. We found many of our clients are in tune with what it means to be hungry, so when we say, here’s the peanut butter and jelly, they say ‘no, we already have one at home’. They leave it for those who need it and that is very heartwarming.”
The West Chester Food Cupboard believes no one should have to face the choice of paying for their medication, a mortgage payment or feeding their family. Click here to learn more.
