Otis Food Pantry Update

By Terry Gould

January/February 2025

Happy New Year everyone! The Otis Food Pantry is stepping into the new year with caution and hope. Our visitor numbers remain high going into the new year. We continue to serve approximately 50 households and more each week thanks to the support of all of you. The Southern Berkshire Food Collaborative, Berkshire Bounty, and Berkshire Grown are working to access and continue to support local farms to be able to provide fresh local produce to the pantries in the county. Generous food donations from residents keep our non-perishable shelves stocked, and your monetary donations allow us to purchase a meat meal each week.

Due to the angel campaign at the Knox Trail Inn, forty-four Thanksgiving meals were provided to members of our community. A huge thank you to the staff at the Knox who made the most amazing turkey dinners!

Smile Like Jack stepped up with gift cards for the holidays as well; a wonderful treat for folks to be able to shop for something extra special this year.

For the first time in our four years, pantry day fell on Christmas. The Otis Food Pantry was closed for the week of Christmas, but Berkshire Bounty and Berkshire Grown made sure we had extra produce for the week before the holiday. We were open again on New Year’s Day.

We also held our Recipe Sack Campaign so that people could share a simple favorite recipe with a pantry family. Ingredients and the recipe were placed in a bag for families to choose and take home with them. Many thanks to everyone who participated.

As we move into 2025, much is unknown regarding food access. Please monitor our Facebook page for updates. Tread softly into 2025 with our sincere gratitude. Peace. ☮️