By Mark Squibb
Members of the Witless Bay Kinsmen Club have begun accepting donations at their new, walk-in community pantry.
The new pantry is not only much bigger than the old, but the inclusion of a fridge and freezer allows the Kin Club to store refrigerated items such as meat, milk, cheese, and eggs onsite.
“Before, we could only accept donations of non-perishables,” said Kinsman Brian Harte. “So, we would have people drop off a donation of fish or chicken and message us and say, ‘Keep an eye on that, and if it doesn’t go, make sure to put it in the fridge.’ So now, you can just go in and put what you want in there.”
Harte said the new panty makes large donations, such as those collected by local sports teams, more manageable.
Harte noted a number of individuals, community groups, and businesses donate to the panty regularly. Students at St. Bernard’s Elementary in Witless Bay, for example, recently donated potatoes harvested from the school garden.
“Community support has been phenomenal,” said Harte. “We get a lot of food donated. The pantry runs itself pretty much. Every now and then we have to buy some food, but we get a lot of monetary donations as well… I wouldn’t say that the pantry is always full, but there’s always food going in there. I could go in one day and it will be empty, and then go in the next morning and find it full.”
The Kinsmen also partnered with shop class students at Baltimore School in Ferryland to build the pantry.
Harte said the students did the majority of the work.
“One of our members, Jamie O’Brien, is the shop teacher at Baltimore School,” said Harte. “He suggested that if we could throw in the funds for the supplies, he could get his class to do the work.”
The community pantry was first installed a number a years ago in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We realized, very quickly, that the pantry we had wasn’t big enough,” said Harte. “So, this is something that’s been on our plate for a few years now… There’s definitely a need, and I think that need has increased more than anything. It could be that there’s more awareness of the pantry, or there’s more of a need in the community, it’s hard to say.”
Folks can visit the panty at the Puffin Centre, in the same location as the original pantry.
Members of the Kinsmen Club of Witless Bay and Area this October opened a new, walk-in pantry at the Puffin Centre. The Town of Witless Bay recently donated registration fees from a recent flea market and upcoming craft fair, some $260 all told, to the club to help stock the community pantry. From left are Kinsman Adam Carey, Deputy Mayor Jacob Hayden, Kinsman Brian Harte and Kinsman Mark Tobin. Town of Witless Bay photo
