Dedham Food Pantry helps 131 families this holiday

Thanksgiving means family to some people, and football to others. For the Dedham Food Pantry, the November holiday is a prime time to fulfill its mission.

The pantry distributed 131 Thanksgiving meals at its annual “Turkey Day” event over the weekend, giving out turkeys and assorted fixings such as potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy.

The food will go a long way for one Dedham mother, who said she would be able to use her 10-pound turkey for leftovers like sandwiches and soup.

“I’m a single mom, and things don’t always meet every week when payday comes, and what have you,” said Lori, who has been going to the pantry regularly for the last three years to pick up food for her daughter and herself. “I think it is a big help to everyone who goes there, even though everybody does have to swallow their pride, with the way the economy’s going and everything.”

“For this Thanksgiving, I couldn’t be more thankful for getting what I’m getting,” said Steve, a Dedham resident who picked up a turkey and goodies such as carrots and sweet potatoes for his family of three. Saturday’s birds were donated by Roche Bros.

“That’s at least $30, $40 even, and I really don’t have that, I’ll be honest with you,” added Steve, who was working in security before getting injured, and is going through some health and financial problems. “This little pantry is a big asset to people in this town.”

With Thanksgiving here, the Dedham Food Pantry, too, has something to be grateful for: after months of searching, it has found a new location to replace its home of the past 19 years, the basement of St. John’s United Methodist Church.

“We’re 99 percent sure that we’re moving to our new home,” Co-President Lynn Rogal said of the space of about 1,500 square feet to the side of Dedham Plaza, formerly a hardware store, that has been donated by Federal Realty.

“We’re very thankful to them,” Rogal said. “We’re very happy that we found a space without stairs, so we can feel like we can serve more of the individuals who need our help,” such as the elderly.

She said the pantry hopes to move by the end of the year. In the interim, it will continue to work – with space heaters – out of the basement of St. John’s, which is no longer being heated after the church decided to move out of the building.

“It was definitely nerve-wracking for a bit – oh my God, what are they going to do?” Lori said of the pantry’s search. “But now that they have the spot, it was a relief – it was a relief for a lot of people.”

It is a busy time of year for the pantry, which normally serves about 50 families each Saturday, and has seen increases in clients and food prices over the past year.

The volunteer-run group is preparing for its Holiday Harvest Telethon on Dec. 10, a fundraiser with Dedham Public Television that pays for about half the food the pantry buys for the year, said Vice President Lindsay Barich.

“We’re really looking for businesses to make us our primary charity this holiday season,” he said.

From this weekend through Dec. 19, Showcase Cinema de Lux at Legacy Place will show a holiday classic each Saturday morning at 10 a.m., with free admission in exchange for a donation of a non-perishable food item to the pantry.

“Come in with the boxes of food, and get to see a free movie with your family,” Barich said. “That, hopefully, will generate a pallet of food every Saturday.”

For more info on the above events, and a list of the pantry’s most needed items, visit www.dedhamfoodpantry.org.

“The whole thing is to make awareness. This is the main time everybody thinks about hunger,” Barich said.

Meantime, the Dedham Public Library is again pitching in with its “Food for Fines” program: bring in a non-perishable item for the pantry at either branch during the holiday season, and the library will waive a patron’s late fees. The deal does not apply to lost or damaged books and library items, however.

And on East Street, Golden LivingCenter-Dedham is teaming up with the pantry through its Thanksgiving Tree food drive. The nursing home is collecting canned goods, cereals, coffee and tea, and more donations through this Saturday – piling the food beside a small tree in the lobby. Golden Living is gathering donations mainly from its staff, family members of residents, and immediate neighbors.

“Last year I had 110 cans or boxes of food,” said admissions coordinator Kristin O’Dea, who is aiming for 200 this year. “It’s not a huge amount, but it’s enough.”

Dedham Transcript staff writer Edward B. Colby can be reached at 781-433-8336 or ecolby@cnc.com.