St. Philip’s Help Yourself Shelf Food Pantry, 12 Hodge St., and the Wiscasset Food Pantry at the Church of the Nazarene, 255 Gardiner Road, in Wiscasset, are open to all who are suffering from food insecurity. The Wiscasset Food Pantry is open Sundays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Every Thursday, with sign up from 4 p.m. and choose time at 5 p.m., the Help Yourself Shelf, as well, strives to help ease that insecurity for any who seek us out.

Running totally on contributions, the Help Yourself Shelf and the Wiscasset Pantry would not be able to continue their mission without support from you, the community. Thank you, and please continue to support the pantries. No contribution is too big or too small.

Both pantries are also always in need of volunteer help. If you are looking for something meaningful to involve yourself in, please call St. Philip’s Church at 207-882-7184, and leave a message with a return phone number for either Lois or Gretchen, or Rev. Wally Staples at the Church of the Nazarene at 207-882-9088.

Very importantly, both Help Yourself Shelf and the Church of the Nazarene Food Pantry this past year have been part of Good Shepherd Food Bank’s new initiative, the Cupboard Collective thanks to a grant from Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program; however, the grant is soon coming to an end.

For $1,500 per year, which covers Wiscasset’s share of the delivery truck expenses, the two food pantries are able to order GSFB supplies that are delivered to the pantries two times per month. This not only is time and energy-efficient, it also allows for greater amounts of supplies to be delivered and dispersed to this area, which is classified by the federal government as a "food desert."

The coming winter is promising to be a long and harsh one. Both pantries anticipate seeing their already elevated numbers increase yet again as those living on the edge of poverty have to dedicate more of their income to heat and other utilities.

Both the Nazarene Food Pantry and the Help Yourself Shelf would benefit greatly by continuing their membership in the Cupboard Collective, but with funds committed to supplies, both pantries are asking the community to dig a little deeper and donate specifically to a Cupboard Collective fund.

Checks can be made out to St. Philip’s Church with “Cupboard Collective Fund” written on the memo line. As St. Philip’s is a 501(c)3 entity, contributions are tax deductible. Send contributions to St. Philip’s Church, 12 Hodge St., Wiscasset, ME 04578.

Please help us help those in our communities who need a leg up.