After five years of reduced shopping capacity due to COVID and other considerations, Help Yourself Shelf (the Shelf) in Wiscasset is going back to its all-at-once food pantry distributions starting May 1! Patrons will be able to shop all together every Thursday from 5 p.m to 6 p.m.  No more waiting in long lines in your car. 

Please come to the Parish Hall at 12 Hodge St. a few minutes early to check in, view selection options, and visit. Once the line begins, if you arrive late, you will need to line up at the end no matter your number. 

As the Bargain Basement Thrift Store will continue to be open for shopping from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays, plan your visit to include checking out the bargains.

Want to help with setting up? Aid is always appreciated in this. The organizing will start at 4 p.m. and many hands make light work. 

Even though participation will be all-at-once, there will still be a staggered starting order that will be based on the Client Number given when you registered. (If you've forgotten yours, ask for a reminder when checking in.) The starting number will rotate on a weekly basis so it’s important to know your number for each week’s organization. This format is constituted for the process to be as fair as possible for all.

Choose just what you want to take home each week; however, options and amounts available will dictate how little or how much can be chosen that week.

Note: those people on the current delivery list will continue receiving their distributions as per usual unless they opt to attend in person. There are, however, only a few handicapped spaces available near the doors to the hall, so mobility needs to be taken into consideration if interested in attending in person.

Standard parking will return to the Church lot with overflow parking on the Church side of Hodge Street. Please help the Shelf and yourselves by parking close enough to each other to maximize the use of space. A parking attendant will be present for the first few weeks to help with this.

Contact the Shelf at St. Philip’s if you have questions, or if unable to make it when the Pantry is open. Call St. Philip’s at 882-7184, leaving a brief message with a name and a return number, or email helpyourselfshelf@gmail.com to discuss options.