Champ's Place - Our Food Pantry and More

Yesterday I had the chance to speak to the third grade class at Somers Elementary School. I was invited by Kathy Mangini and her classroom as they begin a community service project to help Champ's Place, the Somers Congregational Church's food pantry. The children were wonderful, attentive, and inquisitive and I had a great time.

I took an empty grocery bag with me (paper) and asked the kids what they would put in it if they were going to use the contents to feed their family for a week. The first response was M&Ms! Then we talked about nutrition and staying healthy and their suggestions got much better. We also talked about non-food items that we try to have on hand for visitors to Champ's place, from toiletries to gentle used clothing.

I was happy to talk to the kids, and very happy to see how enthused they became about what they could gather to help people in our own community. They will be collecting things for Champ's Place over the next 5 months!

I prepared more information that I could use in the time allotted for the presentation and conversation, including some notes about who Camp was and why we named the [pantry after him, and the history of the pantry.

Gene Champion (Champ)had a real connection to our commuunity, being a retired Postal Worker who delivered mail on rural routes here in Somers for many years. He had his wife Marion were married in the church and raised their 3 children through our Sunday School. Marion and the children, their spouses and children, continue to be active members of the church.

Although the church had collected and distribute food before, “Champ” was the first volunteer who kept regular hours for people to come and get food. Before the people arrived, Champ sorted and shelved the food and always made sure it was fairly distributed to everyone who used the pantry. He developed a system to sign people in and keep track of what was needed. When Champ became unable to be there, he asked about a better room that would be easier for everyone to access.

When the church was renovated in 1998-'99 the pantry got a new location on first floor with 2 closets that could be locked. New people volunteered and helped sign people in, sort the food and give it out. The program grew as people heard that the church was willing to help. We needed more room and the room was expanded and the pantry had 4, then 5 now 6 closets.

The larger room and more space made it possible for us to add used clothing and then small household items. The people who were using the pantry started talking to each other and passing along clothing and ideas for saving money and making small budgets spread further. The donation of a freezer expanded the program more and now we are able to offer some perishable food.

A lot of the food we distribute comes from people in our community. During the summer, we had people who brought fresh vegetables and sometimes we have gotten bread from Big Y and Giessler’s. Left over’s from church suppers always go to Champs='s place. The Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Post Office, school and other clubs as well as local businesses have given food over the years. A big boost came when we began receiving food from Food Share through which we are able to get many items at greatly reduced prices.

Every week 25 to 30 people come to get a couple of bags of groceries. Very few of those people live alone, so each person represents 2 or 3 people receiving food.
Our guests sign in and we coordinate what we give with what they might get from other sources and also helps to get people in touch with other sources of aid. There are all kinds of people at Champ's place very week: some who live alone, couples, mom & dad and a child or two, or even more.

The people who make use of Champ's place live in different kinds of houses too. They live in houses, apartments, 1 room in someone else's house, and some even live in their car or outside. This means we must offer different kinds of foods and foods that require different kinds of preparation. A person who lives in their own hoome with a full kitchen will be able to use different things than a person living out of their car in the state forest. We try to be aware of the particular needs of the people we serve.

We want to give people who are going through a bad time some help. Champ's place is not meant to be a permanent source food for anyone, but is a stepping stone and a help in troubled times.