SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — According to the Sullivan Health and Human Services Committee, the county is experiencing an all-time high in food insecurity. 

The shutdown has ended and SNAP is available, although changes, including new requirements, are expected. 

Food pantries locally say it’s business as usual, and as the changes happen, they are aware of what that may mean for the people who show up at their doors. 

On a busy Saturday morning, starting at 7 a.m., families and singles line up around the curb outside the Monticello United Methodist Church.

“This has been an amazing [journey]. It’s my heart. No one in this county or in this country should be hungry. No one,” said Kat Aitken, volunteer pantry coordinator, talking about the Open Table Community Food Pantry. 

How will SNAP changes affect families going into the holidays?   

“With this whole SNAP thing, we have no idea what’s going to happen,” Aitken said.

She remains hopeful.  “The Holy Spirit always takes care of what we need. It has always been like this from Day One. For instance, we bought that chest freezer that’s in the kitchen, [that] little box freezer, and it was on sale. So we bought it. We ran out and bought it.”

The Open Table County Food Pantry, like other pantries, started out of a closet and was formalized post-pandemic. Aitken said that it was meant to feed any students from the local high schools. The demographic that turned up were single men on Saturday mornings, eventually followed by families. 

The Open Table says it provides healthy food and homemade lunches to hundreds of local residents per week.

Now more than ever, the pantry states it needs community support to keep the pantry full. 

Open Table is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and the pantry takes monetary donations. The donations go directly to providing healthy meals and pantry supplies. 

Sullivan County, NY

Open Table Community Food Pantry is located at 445 Broadway in Monticello. Call 845/794-7043.

Other Sullivan County resources can be found at www.saltcares.com/food-pantry.

Wayne County, PA

The county food pantry operates sites in Damascus, Honesdale, Lakeville, Lakewood and Newfoundland. To learn more and for hours, call the Wayne County Food Pantry at 570/253-4262.

Pike County, PA

St. John Neumann Parish, Lords Valley/Blooming Grove: 570/775-6791

Bushkill Outreach food pantry, Bushkill: 570/588-0660

Ecumenical Food Pantry, Milford: 570/296-8123

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Dingmans Ferry: 570/828-7411

Pike County Food Pantry: 570/676-4066