These are anxious times at the food pantry at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Manitou Springs.
“Things are getting scary,” said food coordinator Michelle Tomasik, referring to the dwindling number of items available from the Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, the pantry’s primary source of food.
Tomasik said that, until recently, Care and Share published as many as six pages of food items each week from which Tomasik could order for the pantry.
“Now, it’s gone down to three pages,” Tomasik said. “And last week it was down to one. There are some real staples we can hardly get anymore.
“We’ve been supplementing (the inventory) by purchasing items ourselves with our cash donations, but that’s not sustainable.”
The time of year, inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic and distribution interruptions have all contributed to the scarcity of Care and Share items.
“Usually around the holidays, the number of people needing food assistance goes up,” Tomasik said. “Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, for instance, we try to put the word out for donations, especially for items such as sugar, butter and coffee.”
Tomasik is in charge of a crew of 10 to 12 volunteers who regularly operate the food pantry, which is open to the public 1-2 p.m. every Wednesday. It is currently being set up in the St. Andrew’s parish hall driveway at 110 Cañon Ave.
Volunteers pick up the food at Care and Share’s distributing center on the east side of Colorado Springs and bring it to Manitou, where it’s inventoried and then set out on tables under tarps in the parish hall driveway.
“A lot has changed since COVID arrived,” Tomasik said.
She pointed out that, before the coronavirus outbreak, the food was distributed inside the parish hall and residents could select from the various items. But during the early days of the pandemic, volunteers were forced to pre-sort bags of food to be handed out to people waiting outside because of social distancing concerns.
“Now, people are able to again ‘shop’ under the tarps and canopies set up outside. It’s a good feeling for us. And we have portable heaters on especially cold days,” Tomasik said.
Nonetheless, staging a weekly food program outdoors is a challenge, and some volunteers typically spend 15 hours a week helping operate the program.
“It’s physical work, but for all of us here, it gives us a purpose to help where we can,” she said.
And the need to help seems especially important these days.
“We’ve seen an increase in the number of people who come to the pantry of probably about 25 to 30 percent,” Tomasik said. “That’s not a drastic increase but it’s noticeable. I absolutely think that we’re seeing more food insecurity in Manitou because everything is going up — except wages.
“People are mistaken who think that those who depend on food pantries are homeless. That’s not the case in Manitou. The majority here are people who are just struggling financially. And there are a lot of single households and couples without children who come here.”
Tomasik, who said she’s been doing volunteer work since her children grew up, firmly believes that absolutely no one should be without food.
“Food insecurity is very real and asking those who are able to help is important. I’ve always said, ‘It takes a village.’”
Tomasik typically contacts Care and Share on a weekly basis, and her responsibilities include completing monthly reports based on the number of people who come to St. Andrew’s Food Pantry. In turn, the food is then allotted to Manitou based on the number of people served.
Care and Share Food Bank, founded in 1972, obtains food from various sources, including federal food nutrition programs, and distributes it to 282 outlets and partners in 31 Colorado counties.
“We make sure that food gets to everyone who needs it, wherever they are,” states the Care and Share website. “Because well-fed communities are better for us all.”
Tomasik said the Manitou food pantry would greatly appreciate donations of either food or money or both.
“Cash helps us purchase exactly what we need,” she said. “We try to figure out how we can get enough of any given item so that anyone who comes can have some of that.
“But it’s definitely not always possible. And it gets very emotional for us here.”
To donate, go to www.standrewsmanitousprings.org/manitou-springs-food-pantry. To volunteer, contact Rev. Susie Merrin by email at standrewsmanitou@gmail.com.