Wilton pulls aid for food pantry [Times Union, Albany, N.Y.]

Nov. 25--WILTON ? A group of residents opened the town's first formal food pantry this summer and the founders have been pleased by the support from both local businesses and individuals. But board members Jared Dinsmore and Dennis Towers are disappointed by a vote the Town Board made that denied the fledgling group $5,000.

Although the Wilton Food Pantry board did not ask for town support, Supervisor Art Johnson, R-Wilton, put the money into the tentative budget. During budget deliberations by the whole board, a majority of the members removed the money along with some of the funding for the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park. The board also voted to cancel a contract with the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office for additional police protection.

Towers spoke at the public hearing on the budget and said the board's decision was a break with precedent. When Wilton resident Doris Wilder ran an informal pantry through the Wilton Fire Department, the town supported her financially.

"Food is a necessity. There are people in this community who are facing food insecurity through no fault of their own, and a community should help its members," Towers said.

Last fall, two years after Wilder closed her pantry, Towers, Dinsmore and a group of others gathered research to gauge the need for a food pantry in Wilton. Dinsmore said they learned by compiling data from the census, the town, Saratoga Springs and South Glens Falls school districts and the Saratoga Economic Opportunity Council that an estimated 500 families in town could use help putting food on their tables.

The group created a nonprofit organization and the Trinity United Methodist Church at 155 Ballard Road offered them space. Donations started quickly. The Golub Foundation donated grocery store shelving, office furniture and a van. D.A. Collins Construction donated $1,000 and its employees conducted a food drive. Local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts did food drives. Hannaford Supermarkets, Walgreens and BJ's Wholesale Club donate food every week. Farrell Oil, the Sartoga National Bank and the Ballston Spa National Bank made cash donations. In all, more than 60 individuals and businesses made donations, Dinsmore said.

"The community was looking for something like this to latch onto. People want to give back to their neighbors," he said.

The number of volunteers grew, and so did the clientele. In July, the pantry served 39 people; in August, 87; in September, 101; and in October, 116.

"Our needs assessment was accurate," Towers said.

The response from the community also showed Towers the votes by Councilmen Robert Pulsifier, Robert Rice and Charles Gerber went against the desires of the residents, he said. Patrons at the food pantry get a three-day emergency supply of food and are invited to shop the pantry as they would a grocery store. They may only use the pantry six times a year, something Dinsmore said he hopes to expand.

For now, the amount of food donations allow the board to use the cash donations on their insurance costs and paying off the cost of adding A/C to the church pantry to make it USDA-compliant. They will soon start the application process to become a member of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, which allows new pantries to join after they have been in business for six months.

Dinsmore is anxious about the future.

"We're a new organization and we've gotten a lot of press. Where are we going to be in late February, or next July?" he said.

Reach Leigh Hornbeck at 454-5352 or [email protected]

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