SWAMPSCOTT — The Anchor Food Pantry will continue helping families in need out of its Burrill Street location.
The Select Board authorized Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald Wednesday to extend the lease and occupancy agreement with the Anchor Food Pantry at 86 Burrill St. for another year.
“This space has been really amazing for what we are doing here for the community,” said Laura Spathanas, president of the Anchor Food Pantry, at the Select Board meeting. “We really appreciate having the opportunity to be here and your trust.”
Spathanas thanked Marzie Galazka, director of the Community and Economic Development Department, for helping the pantry, especially with securing funding, and Max Kasper, facilities director, for completing the upgrades that Town Meeting approved last year.
The Anchor Food Pantry serves more than 50 families a month, Spathanas said, with new families coming to the food pantry almost weekly. Other families that are able to get back on their feet stop coming eventually.
“We have all types of families that are here in our community and (are) our neighbors that just need a little extra boost and they come here for that. (Some) come here for some emotional support as well,” said Spathanas. “Sometimes we feel like we can’t do enough for some of our visitors.”
The food pantry receives about 3,000 pounds of food a month from Greater Boston Food Bank. It always welcomes donations of personal products like shampoos, body washes and feminine-hygiene products, toiletries, shelf-stable milk, almond milk, coffee and snacks, Spathanas said, because they don’t get them from the Food Bank.
“I always think everyone deserves to have a cup of coffee and a bag of chips,” said Spathanas.
The food pantry often collaborates with the school district, the Senior Center, the veteran’s agent and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post staff to support Swampscott neighbors. For example, Hadley Elementary School recently hosted a big food drive for the Anchor Food Pantry, donating specific items, name-brand cereals, pasta sauce and hygiene products, Spathanas said.
With the completion of the electric-wiring installation, the food pantry will soon be able to use refrigerators and a freezer to offer more food to its clients.
More information about the Anchor Food Pantry and its Amazon wish list can be found at anchorfoodpantry.org.
