Highland Lions Club Food Pantry Has Plenty to Give — But Needs More People to Use It

Food pantries are usually bracing for shortages. The Highland Lions Club is facing the opposite problem: too much food and not enough visitors.The Lions Club opened its new community food pantry in late summer, and donations poured in almost immediately. Shelves are full. Supplies are steady. But organizers say many residents who could benefit either don’t know the pantry exists or may feel hesitant about asking for help.“We built the pantry in August. It was ready to open and do business in September,” said Greg Hatton of the Highland Lions Club. “We got an immediate response from a very generous public — the townspeople of Highland.”The pantry is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is meant for anyone in need, no questions asked. It is located at 219 Airport Road, built into the side wall of the Yulan Post Office.But its location may be part of the challenge.“We’re a little bit off the beaten path,” Hatton said. “We’re not — there’s not lots of flags up.”Other food pantries in the area sit along Route 97 or near Town Hall in Eldred and have been established longer. As a result, Hatton said, the Lions Club pantry has struggled to get food “out the door.”“If food’s not going out, the pump is not working and it will jam up,” he said.Rethinking what people actually needEarly donations leaned heavily toward canned goods and cooking staples — pasta, rice and ingredients for home-cooked meals. But Hatton soon noticed a pattern.“The only thing that was going out was the prepared sauce,” he said. “That was a big light bulb going off.”Many pantry users, he realized, may not have kitchens at all.“They may be living in an SRO, they might be living in their car,” Hatton said. “They may not have propane or electric.”After sharing that insight with donors, the food changed — and so did the impact.The pantry began receiving shelf-stable, ready-to-eat items: tuna in foil packs, ramen noodles, protein shakes and fully cooked beans in cartons that can be eaten without heating.“These are things I’d never seen before,” Hatton said. “The community responded in really creative ways.”One anonymous donor even assembled a complete holiday meal.“It’s a full chicken dinner — stuffing, turkey breast, green beans, gravy, mashed potatoes,” Hatton said. “Remarkable. Kudos to whoever you are.”More than food on the shelvesThe pantry has also received pet food, cat litter and small Christmas gifts — hand-knit bags and decorated picture frames — offering dignity and care beyond basic nutrition.“It kind of gets to the heart of it,” Hatton said.Despite the abundance, Hatton said outreach remains the biggest hurdle.“Curiously, when you research food pantries, there’s lots of information about balanced meals and calories,” he said. “But there’s nothing about outreach — how to reach people who are in need.”That’s why he’s asking the community for help spreading the word.How to find the pantryThe Highland Lions Club Food Pantry is located at 219 Airport Road in Barryville and is open 24/7. More information is available through the Highland Lions Club Facebook page.Hatton sums up the mission with a simple phrase.“Let there be food for all,” he said.