By Sally Stang, Special Writer
LAMBERTVILLE — Hurricane Sandy left many people in distress — with power, heat, gas and food in short supply.
For some people, this was the first time they had experienced a level of fear that one might feel when resources are running dry, along with the dismay and stigma of having to ask for help.
Joe McGrath, coordinator of the Lambertville Food Pantry, said “ During the storm, we had people coming in for food who had never been in the position of needing our help before. They were very grateful that we were here to help them.”
Although they had lost power for nine days, the pantry managed to be open for its regular Wednesday and Saturday hours. Using flashlights, the volunteers guided their clients from shelf to shelf to pick out their food.
Margaret, a retired woman from Lambertville, lives on a fixed income. She used the pantry for the first time during the storm. She said, “Hurricane Sandy put me in a real financial bind. I felt like a refugee after the storm, living on the edge, and I needed help. It was a very disturbing feeling!”
Another woman, a weekly visitor standing on line at the pantry, said, “You can’t believe how important this food is to us. We really need this help and the pantry makes our lives so much better.”
A single mother, originally from Mexico, stood on line with her three children. Mr. McGrath pointed out that the local Latino community was the largest demographic group using the food pantry on a regular basis.
Presently, the pantry has up to 1,000 visitors a month from all around the Lambertville-New Hope area.
To meet the area’s needs, the food pantry relies on donations to the Delaware Valley Interfaith Council (DVIC), which has operated the pantry continuously since 1981.
”The food is free from a couple of government agencies.” explained Mr. McGrath. “However, for the other 75 percent of our food, we pay only for shipping. For every $1 that is donated to us, we can have 5 pounds of food shipped to us.”
The pantry saves on shipping fees by making extra trips to northern New Jersey to pick up food at Norwescap, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance, food and clothing to needy families in Hunterdon and Warren counties.
Mr. McGrath went on, “There are many people in the community bringing small food donations on a regular basis, but we do need cash to buy things that our primary source, Norwescap, can’t afford to provide anymore, like whole chickens and other nutritious food.”
In addition, this year, Mr. McGrath said, “Laura Darby of St. John’s parish got permission from the pastor to do monthly food collections at the church. This has resulted in food as well as cash donations. That is very helpful.”
Current food and sundry needs for the pantry are: toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, black beans, tuna, cooking oil, cereal, canned fruit, fruit juice, shampoo, detergent, deodorant, tomato sauce and coffee (whole and ground).
The staff of DVIC volunteers, none of whom are paid, stock shelves when the food arrives, greet visitors and help them make their food selections. Volunteers also pick up food from local supermarkets, like Giant and ShopRite — food that would otherwise be thrown away. The items are completely safe and nutritious, but grocery stores must adhere to strict guidelines about rotating items off of their shelves
Send check donations for the food pantry to D.V.I.C., P.O. Box 705, Lambertville, 08530.
For more information, call Mr. McGrath at 609-638-7888.
The Lambertville Food Pantry is located behind St. John’s Church on Bridge Street. Hours are Wednesdays from 2-4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-noon.

