The Pittsfield Community Food Pantry – formerly known as the South Community Food Pantry – is the largest food pantry in Berkshire County. The entirely volunteer-run operation is located in the United Church of Christ on South Street in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In addition to distributing food to over 1,500 families a month out of its headquarters, it’s the only food pantry in Berkshire County that delivers to individual homes. On Saturday, the pantry is holding a benefit at the neighboring Colonial Theatre with a roster of musical performers, including a young Elvis impersonator. Reverend Mike Denton is the pastor for United Church of Christ, Pittsfield and Designated Pastor for Canaan Congregational Church. He tells WAMC the fundraiser comes as food insecurity grows across the region.
DENTON: It was almost 15 years ago that United Church of Christ Pittsfield, as part of its earlier days, helped found what is now the Pittsfield Community Food Pantry. Pittsfield Community Food Pantry is now its own separate 501c3. The basic way it started is there was a recognition that people were hungry in the world, and particularly in our community. So, it started with just 15 bags of food that were distributed folks from inside the church. Since then, it's expanded quite a bit to now where we're regularly serving more than 1,500 households every month within the greater Pittsfield area.
WAMC: Now at this point, do you see that mission growing, shrinking, moving laterally- As things stand right now, what do you see the trajectory looking like?
I don't see any way that with the situation in our world right now, that the need isn't going to go up. Tin steel, which is what's used for cans, is probably going to go up by at least nine to 15 cents per can just because of the tariffs. If some of the cuts do come to pass, which they likely will within the SNAP program, we also expect to see a significant increase. Right now, for every one meal that the pantry provides with the help of the Western Massachusetts Food Bank, SNAP provides about nine. So, once SNAP is cut, I just don't see any way that there's not going to be more and more people who are going to need the services of our pantry and many pantries throughout the area.
Something that I've heard a lot from folks who work in the food pantry scene here in Berkshire County is that the profile of who's coming in for food assistance has also changed and will likely continue to change in line with those changes that you're identifying. Can you tell me about that a little bit- I think some people might have a people might have a concept of a, a stereotype of who might go to a food pantry. How is that changing?
Yeah, I think we have more – and we've always had the majority of our folks be folks who are working in other positions and working other jobs that need some supplemental help – but I'd say it's that that's even increasing more and more. So, there's folks that are working more than one full-time job that, because of rent increases, food increases, fuel increases, aren't able to afford what they were once able to afford. When we look at what's coming with cuts to Medicaid, and we look at what’s coming as far as cuts to SNAP benefits, when there's been housing assistance, stuff that's been cut, when rent continues to go up in this area, I just expect us to see more and more and more people. Last month, I believe it was, we had around 300 new individuals sign up for food. So, the numbers just are going to keep going up.
We've talked about this in the past, but as far as the spiritual mission of the church, how does that dovetail with something like the food pantry?
A lot of what Jesus did- I mean, if you take a look at the feeding of the 5,000, there was this, sort of the miracle and the community moment that happened when there didn't seem like there was enough food, but when everybody came together somehow between both the movement of the Spirit that was at that moment and the movement of the people who were there, there was enough food for everybody. We are in a place where, even in the midst of our challenges, there's plenty, and when we recognize that opportunity for that plentifulness to be shared with one another, miracles happen and happen every day through the pantry.
Now turning to this benefit for the pantry, let's first talk about like, the nuts and bolts of this. I mean, what does it take to operate something like this, and what does it mean to reach out to the community for assistance?
Yeah, it's been really pretty stunning, and we just had a meeting about it yesterday. I'm not, I don't do all of the nuts and bolts. But first of all, shout out to the Colonial Theatre that is really offering their space for us to be able to use for this pantry. This event would not be happening without their help, and we can't thank them enough for offering up their space. They've been a great community partner. They're also right across the street from the pantry itself, so they see on a regular basis the folks that are coming there to the pantry itself. So again, we just really appreciate them being a great neighbor and a great partner. At this moment, the volunteers that have been coordinating this – and again, the pantry is a completely volunteer-run organization – there's a couple folks that we have contracts with for specific things at specific moments, but overall, it's a volunteer-run organization. The volunteers that have been putting this together have been working to find sponsors and business sponsors, and we've had several good ones step up. Individuals have stepped up too to help support this event, and we've got a really good lineup of artists that are volunteering and offering their time for this event. So, the event itself happens on Saturday, September 20th, at 7pm, and the some of the musicians that are showing up- One is Jackson DuCharme, who is a 15-year-old Elvis impersonator. And if you haven't ever seen him, I encourage you to check his stuff out on YouTube. He's really very, very good. Natalia Bernal and Jason Ennis, who continue to be great jazz musicians in the area are donating their time and are going to be present. Billy Keane, a local artist, part of Whiskey Treaty Road Show as well. He was a, also delivered food for the pantry for two to three years, and he's going to be sharing his gifts and skills, coming back from taking a trip down south for a while and living there now, but coming back up for this moment. And of course, the Wanda Houston Band is also going to be sharing everything that she can offer as part of this. So, it's going to be an event that is, I think, inspiring, energy filled, and just a great show.
And broadly, to sort of put a cap on this, why is this important right now? Why in fall 2025 is it important for the broader community to invest in something like this food pantry?
Yeah, I think there are so many ways in which we're being encouraged to attack each other and otherize each other and depersonalize each other and dehumanize each other. When people think about food, recognizing that is an experience that they share, and recognize what it might be like to be hungry, and remembering that it's going to be someone like a child that they might see going to school that's going to be hungry, when they recognize that it's going to be a senior who has some of their benefits cut who's going to be hungry, when they think about those people in their lives who are similar to every single person who comes into the pantry, who's just having a hard moment, that they get the help- It gives us a great opportunity to stand up against everything else that's dividing us in any form or fashion. It doesn't matter what political party you're part of when you come to the pantry, it just matters that you're hungry. It doesn't matter what religious group that you're part of, it just means that you're hungry when you come to the pantry. None of that matters when you come there. And so, it's a great place and a great cause for us all to come together around.
Now you also serve a community in Canaan, New York, across the state line. Are you seeing other trends in that community around the need for food and the need for greater food security investment at this point?
Yeah, I know that the- I’m still relatively new at the church there, but they work with other community food pantries around there too and help support them. I think everybody where there is a pantry, for the most part, are seeing the numbers go up. Some more than others, but everybody's seen more people turn up who haven't turned up before. So, it's a story we're hearing from lots of different pantries.
