‘Two sides of Exeter’: Rising grocery prices fuel uptick in food pantry demand

EXETER — Over the past few months, the town’s Society of St. Vincent De Paul Community Assistance Center, one of the largest food pantries in the Seacoast area, has seen an uptick in visitors.

Molly Zirillo, the executive director of the food pantry, said in the past the organization typically saw around 20 households during each of the food pantry hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. But that was before COVID-19 pandemic and prior to a price hike of goods.

“It is very much starting to creep up,” said Zirillo.

And it's not just Exeter. A recent survey from Feeding America, a nonprofit network of 200 food banks, found that 155 food pantries reported a jump in families coming to their door.

Driving the increase is the rising cost of groceries due to inflation. According to the Consumer Price Index report, food prices rose 11.2% compared to a year ago and 0.8% from the month before. Everything from meat and cereal to fruits and vegetables are more expensive.

The hike in prices comes after a global pandemic.

Zirillo said before the pandemic, they had families come in once a month.

“During the pandemic, everything went off the rails,” said Zirillo, as families dealt with job loss and slashed wages and other economic hardships. “We encourage people to come on a weekly basis (now) because we’ve not all recovered. We really want to see people that are qualified to be frequenting us.”

The food pantry, she said, is also feeling the squeeze of rising inflation, as the cost to keep the building open increases.

“It costs us about five grand a week to keep our doors open because we don’t charge for anything and we give everything,” said Zirillo.

While the majority of visitors are from Exeter, the pantry also serves neighboring towns of Brentwood, East Kingston, Kensington, Newfields and Stratham.

“People think of Exeter as a pretty posh town but there’s two sides of Exeter, and Exeter has one of the highest populations of mobile home parks in the state,” Zirillo said.

In 2021, the food pantry served 2,025 families distributing 213,910 pounds of food. They also delivered 322 meals to homebound seniors.

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Keeping the shelves stocked

Zirillo said each week the organization visits the New Hampshire Food Bank in Manchester, where they collect their supply of food to be distributed. Some of the food is free, but items such as dairy products will cost money, she said.

In addition, she said, the organization relies on generous donations from the town, community members and Hannaford.

“Hannaford is incredibly generous to us (by providing day-old breads and pastries),” said Zirillo. “The growing season is starting to wind down, but in the summertime, we get a lot of gardeners and farmers that donate (their produce).”

Zirillo said they strive not just to provide food but food with nutritional value. She said if it isn’t something she would serve her family, she's not inclined to have it in the pantry.

“We’re not nutritional outlets … but we’re working really hard on trying to improve our nutritional values,” she said. “We want to be the change in the world, we want not just processed, high-sodium and no nutritional value kind of food.”

Often, the most requested items, she said, are personal care items such as body wash, toothbrushes, shampoos and coffee.

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More than just a food pantry

Although the town’s SVDP is prominently known for its food pantry program, Zirillo said the organization provides much more than that.

“We do a holistic approach to make sure that people are availing themselves of all available resources that they qualify for because we try to get people out of poverty – not just quick fixes,” she said.

These initiatives include helping people out with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), fuel assistance and medical assistance. Zirillo said the organization also partners with Families First to provide medical and dental assistance for adults who are homeless, without stable housing, or low income.

“It’s about sustainability, we want to give people solutions that they can maintain, and they can stabilize because we’re really looking to influence systemic changes in people’s lives to get them out of poverty,” added Zirillo.

How do I get help at St. Vincent de Paul?

Food pantry: The food pantry is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. It is also open Monday nights from 7 to 8 p.m.

Senior home delivery service: St. Vincent de Paul delivers to housebound senior citizens once a month who live at 277 Water Street and Meeting Place.

Dental services: Urgent dental care through Families First is offered on a first-come, first-served basis in the dental van at SVDP Exeter. Dental services are available to low-income adults of New Hampshire and Maine, including limited exams, x-rays, fillings, and extractions on a sliding scale fee. Contact Families First at (603) 422-8208 for more information.

Healthcare: Medical services are offered in the onsite medical van through Families First for adults who are homeless, without stable housing, or low income. A doctor, nurse and social worker are available to see patients with no appointment needed. The medical van is open Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m.

How can I help?

Food donations: You can drop off donations at the center during business hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cleo Castonguay Giving Tree: Show your support by purchasing a leaf on their giving tree. Individually engraved leaves are available for donors to purchase. The bronze leaf is offered for donations of $1,000 to $2,500. Silver leaves are available for donations of $2,500 to $5,000 and gold leaves for donations of $5,000 and above.

Vehicle donations: The National Vehicle Donation Program of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA accepts all vehicles, including cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and trailers. The vehicle does not have to run and will be towed away at no cost to you. Once it is sold at auction, the proceeds will go directly back to SVdP Exeter.

Volunteer: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has nearly 200 “Vincentian” volunteers who have taken on various roles in serving clients. Visit svdpexeter.com/volunteer/ to learn more about becoming a volunteer.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Rising grocery prices fuel uptick in Exeter, NH food pantry demand