This past Wednesday, the Emergency Pantry at the Salvation Army had to close a bit early as they ran out of shelf stable foods.
Knowing the need in the community is great right now, Salvation Army Operations Manager, Todd Rapp, put up a notice on the Salvation Army Facebook page. (20+) Facebook
Michelle Gillard and Vicki Wolak spotted the post and together they went to work on filling the shelves as quickly as possible.
Michelle Gillard(left) and Vicki Wolak(right)
“I went to the pantry to take some pictures, (of the empty shelves) because pictures sometimes speak more than words,” says Gillard. Gillard then made a post on her personal page looking for people to donate food items to replenish the bare shelves.
Upon arriving home, close friend Vicki Wolak reached out to Gillard with the idea of a “Challenge” to the community. The challenge, give $10 to help fill the Emergency Pantry shelves at the Salvation Army.
“It’s a reasonable amount of money they can give if they can.”
Within a day and a half, $2,300 was raised to purchase food. Gillard’s initial goal was $500.
“My Venmo has been dinging ever since the Facebook post went up. Right up until 9:30 this morning,” says Gillard.
“You hear so many negative things these days and I’ll tell you what, this community, time and time again steps up, whether it’s around the holidays or like now. They just keep coming and helping, it’s great to see.”
Gillard and Wolak have worked together at the Batavia Business & Professional Women’s Club for seven years.
“We work so well together, our friendship has really developed, and we bounce things off each other,” says Wolak.
Over 70 people donated, and Gillard and Wolak along with Gillard’s daughter Olivia, a freshman at Notre Dame, and Wolak’s husband Jeff, went on a 10-cart shopping spree for the Pantry. In about 90 minutes, the shopping crew was able to gather 1,440 items from their list.
Gillard and Wolek with Aldi Assistant Manager Nick Twardowski who helped with check out
While the crew was checking out and loading their truck with the items, Bill Schmeider of Alexander was entering Aldi to do his own shopping.
He instead decided to stop and assist in loading the 10 carts of groceries into a pickup truck.
“They needed help, I got time,” Schmeider said.
He also joined the crew at the Salvation Army to assist in unloading the items there.
The shelves at the Emergency Pantry are now stocked thanks to two friends who put their ideas together.
“I’ve been blown away; we see people every day that are having to make decisions between groceries and prescriptions or rent. The need is huge right now with the economy being the way it is,” says Todd Rapp, Operations Manager at the Salvation Army.
Rapp says before the Pandemic, they were seeing 15-25 families a month. Now they are seeing 25-35 families every day that need food.
“Our goal is to bring people in, they get to go through, they get to pick the things they know their family is going to eat. We get that one on one and we get to know the people and see how else we can help,” says Rapp.
Rapp says people are allowed to come in once a month, unless there are other circumstances, then they can come in more often.
“Our goal is to not turn anyone away, but to find out where they are at in life and what’s going on. We try to be very holistic here, we just don’t want to hand out groceries and say have a great day. We want to find out how we can move beyond having this need on a monthly basis.”
Rapp says they have helped people find jobs, and cars too.
“It’s a hand up not a hand out.”
“I’ve lived and worked all over the country and this community just blows me away, that we can put a need out there like this and people just come out of the woodwork to help. These groceries are unbelievable; we’re going to be able to serve a lot of families with this.”
If anyone in the community would still like to donate, Ascension Parish Bingo on Sumner Street will be accepting can or box food items to donate to the Pantry during their Sunday Bingo. Bingo players get a free entry into the Lottery Basket drawing for each item they bring in. The Lottery basket drawing is in a month.
“We try to step up to the plate as part of Ascension Parish Bingo to say, hey look, our community needs this,” says Julie Carasone, Bingo caller at Ascension Parish Bingo.
“The Salvation Army has helped me out in the past, when my family and I didn’t have a pot to piss in. I needed food and I got it from the Salvation Army to feed my children. This is a great way to step up and give back.”
The Emergency Pantry is every Monday-Wednesday-Friday and people should call ahead to make an appointment, so volunteers are not overwhelmed. Call 585-343-6284 to make an appointment.
Tell me what is needed, when and where I can deliver it to you.
A phone number is listed in the story. There is also a Facebook page that is updated daily on needs at the Pantry.
Great job Michelle and Vicki! What type of food items are needed most?
What items do you still need?