St. Philip’s Help Yourself Shelf Food Pantry (HYS) at 12 Hodge St., Wiscasset, is delighted to report it is the February recipient of funds generated by the Hannaford Fight Hunger Bag Program at their Boothbay Harbor store. For each Fight Hunger bag sold, the Help Yourself Shelf will receive $1. The Shelf will apply those dollars toward purchasing supplies for the food pantry’s mission of providing food aid to those seeking assistance. 

Each Thursday, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., people needing supplemental foods sign in with the Shelf volunteer in the Church’s parking lot across the street and then wait for a turn to shop for food, personal care items and cleaning products, as well as pet foods for the furry members of the family.

Run completely on donations by a team of volunteers, HYS is a truly barebones effort. That necessitates donations to fulfill the undertaking. We are profoundly grateful to groups and individuals who support the mission of HYS. If people wish to contribute, please send a check to St. Philip’s, 12 Hodge St., Wiscasset, 04578. Checks can be made to St. Philip’s with Help Yourself Shelf on the memo line, or directly to Help Yourself Shelf. 

Wish to donate items (in-date and not open or dented)? They can be dropped off inside the double doors of St. Philip’s hall on a labeled cart by the HYS door. These random pieces provide different and intriguing supplies for the "Take Table" where folks are able to select a few things for their family’s use.

While Thursday is Pantry day with work happening both morning and afternoon, activity leading up to Thursday happens on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, as well. HYS is grateful for volunteer help on any and all of those days and times. For inquiries, please call St. Philip’s at 882-7184, leaving a short message and return name and number, and a volunteer will be in touch. Or reach out to helpyourselfshelf@gmail.com, https://helpyourselfshelf.wordpress.com/, or message on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HelpYourselfShelfFoodPantry/

Reminding people of the cancellation policy during inclement weather, if Wiscasset schools are cancelled on Thursday due to weather, there is no Food Pantry that day.  If schools are open the next day, Friday, our Pantry will be held that Friday with the same hours.  However, if schools are cancelled on Friday too, there will be no Pantry that week. Occasionally we have also postponed for heat or other reasons. We will post cancellations on our Facebook Page, or tune into the three major TV network channels (6, 8 and 13) for cancellation listings. Schedule changes may also happen around major holidays.

Don’t forget, Boothbay Hannaford’s Fight Hunger program is hoping you will patronize their store and, in the process, purchase bags to carry your food and to help supply food for others.