Gratitude Spotlight: The Family Pantry and Falmouth Service Center
We are putting two of our community partner organizations in the gratitude spotlight as they approach their busiest season as the winter and holidays approach. With food insecurity at a high and available supplies at a low, The Family Pantry of Cape Cod and the Falmouth Service Center, continue to serve our community with generosity and dedication. We are incredibly grateful for all they do and our collaboration with each great organization.
YOU can help! The Family Pantry is seeking donations of toys, turkeys, and pies for their annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner Distribution and Toy Day Program. The Falmouth Service Center is seeking donations of frozen turkeys for their distribution of Thanksgiving Baskets, and they will also be holding special a children's holiday program.
The Family Pantry of Cape Cod began in 1989 with the mission of "providing food and clothing for ALL who need it." They distribute food and clothing at their Harwich location, through a mobile food truck, and at a satellite location at Cape Cod Community College. In addition, they assist clients who need to apply for fuel assistance or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan (SNAP) benefits. The pantry maintains a production garden, which enables them to offer fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, they work in collaboration with the Barnstable County Public Nurse department to provide free testing and nutritional guidance for those diagnosed with diabetes or high blood pressure.
The Family Pantry is the largest food pantry on the Cape, and, although located in Harwich, is open to anyone in need. Approximately 2/3 of the clients who come to The Family Pantry for food have at least one person in the household who is working, and in many cases there are two people working. They don't make quite enough to cover the cost of living on Cape Cod. In 2020, The Pantry provided food to over 10,000 clients and distributed over 98,000 bags of groceries and 33 tons of donated clothing.
On November 21st, the Family Pantry will host their annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner distribution, and their The Toy Day program will resume on December 19th. Visit www.thefamilypantry.com to learn more.
The Falmouth Service Center (FSC) is a multi-service agency that provides a range of services to Cape Cod households to help provide a safety net. They maintain an extensive food pantry that clients may visit weekly, and can provide financial assistance for Falmouth residents who need housing assistance or help paying utilities. FSC offers a home food delivery service for the elderly or disabled, runs a thrift shop and distributes clothing, and Service Center volunteers can help clients apply for fuel assistance, SNAP benefits, or Mass Health. In addition, before the pandemic FSC hosted monthly WE CAN 1:1 appointments in legal, financial, and work support. We certainly look forward to returning to the Service Center in the future.
With a mission is to ease stress, reduce hunger, and improve the quality of life for neighbors in need, FSC focuses on increasing self-sufficiency and building networks among clients, neighbors and agencies. They specifically covers a wide range of services, in recognition of the fact that client needs are diverse. FSC has been steadily growing and expanding their services since they opened in 1983, and are now an integral part of the community.
Every November on the Monday and Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving Day, FSC distributes turkeys and all of the fixings needed to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for their client households. This year, they plan to distribute 600 Thanksgiving Baskets to to any of their registered client households from any zip code. They are also running a Children's Holiday Program in December, that is available to preregistered families in Mashpee and Falmouth. Find our more by visiting www.falmouthservicecenter.org.