‘Empty spaces’: New Jersey food pantry in need of donations

HAWTHORNE, N.J. (PIX11) — Martha’s Pantry at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Hawthorne is calling for donations of non-perishable foods.

The pantry’s shelves are currently running low while demand continues to increase.

“There are some empty spaces,” said Suzanne Hesse, a warden at St. Clement’s. “We always have a need for food.”

“All of a sudden, when September hit, we noticed that our donations had gone down quite a bit,” said Hesse.

The pantry has operated out of St. Clement’s for the past five years. It serves approximately 160 families on the first and third Saturday of each month, providing bags of non-perishable staples to anyone in need.

“We give out approximately 40 bags of groceries each week when we’re open,” explained Linda Heerema, the director of Martha’s Pantry. “So that’s 40 of each item on the shelves. It looks like a lot, but when you’re packing 40 of it, it cleans the shelf right off.”

Volunteers said inflation has made it harder for people to donate while also increasing the need for the pantry, especially among seniors who live on fixed incomes.

“I think we have enough food to get us through one-and-a-half Saturdays,” said Rev. Erik Soldwedel, the Deacon in Residence at St. Clement’s.

Soldwedel said the church is grateful for all donations and will gladly accept non-perishable food, paper products, and personal hygiene items.

Donations can be dropped off in the bins at the back of the St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, located at 271 Lafayette Avenue in Hawthorne.

Martha’s Pantry is open from 10 a.m. to noon on the first and third Saturday of the month.

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