Pantry Coordinator Nancy Miles prepares a client's bag during a recent Pantry Day.

Open for business every Tuesday

Even though a full range of fresh produce will not be available for a week or two, Judy’s Pantry, which operates in the Sunshine Room of our church, is now open every Tuesday from 3-5 p.m.

On July 7, the pantry offered individuals and families fresh lettuce and spinach, beets, and sugar peas, as well as a wide selection of non-perishable items from canned vegetables, soups, peanut butter, cereals and pasta.

Even with a good selection at the pantry, church members are still asked to donate non-perishable items when then can. Pantry Coordinator Nancy Miles said the pantry is always in need of canned fruits.

The pantry receives shipments of canned goods every other month from Portland’s Wayside Food Programs, as part of an United States Department of Agriculture initiative, but from those canned good deliveries, very little canned fruit is available.

If you can donate non-perishable food products, please leave them in the shopping cart in the church’s Fellowship Hall or inside the back door by the chapel.

Judy’s Pantry serves 30-35 families each week and 45 households overall — some do not come every week. The Pantry is open, free of charge, to Cape residents who have limited resources and are struggling to eat good food — no paperwork or questions asked.

Participants  include residents on Social Security or disability fixed income, single parents with children, large families with a number of children, and those who have lost jobs or who have high medical expenses.

The Pantry receives its fresh produce from the Cape farms at Jordan’s, Green Spark and Alewive’s, in addition to the Cape’s two Community Gardens.

Judy’s Pantry is named to honor the memory of Judy Simonds, whose passion  was gardening. Judy passed away in 2010. This is the sixth year the pantry has been operating in our church.

Click here for more information about Judy’s Pantry: Pantry