About 80 volunteers devote their time each month to keep the pantry running.
Mr. Rogers once said, “Look for the helpers.” When times are tough, he said, it might be easy to despair. However, when one simply looks for the helpers, times seem less bleak and more hopeful.
It’s not hard to find the helpers in Pickerington, and just a few of those include Vanessa Niekamp and her employees and volunteers at the Pickerington Food Pantry. This year marks the fifth anniversary for the pantry, but to say the pantry started five years ago isn’t the whole truth.
Niekamp, who serves as executive director for the pantry, says a need was being identified among the community for a food pantry. To the surprise of no one, multiple organizations jumped in, and various churches in the area began to develop their own pantries. After realizing the churches were duplicating the others’ efforts, the church members realized they would better serve the community under one roof. Thus, the Pickerington Christian Ministerial Association, or PCMA, Food Pantry of Pickerington was born.
“The food pantry is actually older than five years; it’s just that five years ago we were able to get a grant from United Way and we leased the space where we are currently at Central Crossing,” says Niekamp. “It allowed for more of the grocery store-type feel, and it made it easier for people who were donating because it didn’t require stairs.”
Limited income and increased medical expenses have marked an increase in pantry utilization by seniors.
The PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington, now known as the Pickerington Food Pantry, has grown tremendously since its inception. In July alone, the pantry served 16,320 meals to 680 Pickerington residents. The growth matches the population increase in the city, but Niekamp says a big surprise to new pantry volunteers is the main demographic she serves through the pantry.
“What we have noticed is that, as Pickerington’s community has begun to age, their retirement is very limited,” she says. “Living on a limited income and staying in their homes – along with increased medical expenses – has led more and more of our seniors to come to our pantry. In reality, out of that 680 people (that visited in July), about 12 percent are seniors.”
The pantry serves as an emergency service; clients come in once per month and receive enough food for three meals per day for a week for each member of the family. About 80 volunteers come through the pantry each month to help keep the pantry running, and some of those volunteers are past clients.
A key part of the pantry’s model is that it’s run on choice. That means the entire pantry is run similar to a grocery store. Rather than having pre-made bags for each client who comes in, clients are invited to walk through the pantry and pick things that are both fresh and that their family will enjoy.
Clients are invited to walk through the pantry and pick what they want
“People we interact with on a daily basis are so humbled to have to ask for food, but being able to do it in the way that we do … we allow them to pick items they’re interested in eating, but we allow them to leave with fruits and grains and dairy and all those things,” says Niekamp. “Feeling like we’re able to help people in our community makes me come back every day.”
Though she’s been involved in the pantry since its start through the Pickerington Lions Club and has helped with fundraising, November marks Niekamp’s first year as a full-time employee of the pantry. Despite the fairly short tenure, she’s already rolled out some major changes. In addition to the existing fundraisers – the Festival of Lights and the Food Truck Frenzy – Niekamp helped usher in the pantry’s third fundraiser, the Hope Gala, in April.
With five official years under its belt, the food pantry’s volunteers and employees don’t plan to stop anytime soon. Niekamp and her associates have even more in mind for the future.
“I’m trying to increase our funding by 10 percent in the first three years,” she says. “I think that if we could have all our wishes, we’d have a little bit more funding. I’d love to be able to extend those seven days’ worth of food to 10 or 12 so it’s a little bit more. We’re emergency assistance, but an emergency isn’t always going to correct itself within seven days.”
Amanda DePerro is an editor. Feedback welcome at adeperro@cityscenemediagroup.com.
