While the holiday season often triggers a spike in charitable giving, the need for food donations exists throughout the year. The St. Elizabeth Church food pantry is currently serving upwards of 266 residents from the Bristol-Warren area, and organizers say the need is growing. They say demand is significantly higher than it was at this time last year.

The pantry, which is located at the church on Wood Street in Bristol, is open every Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m.

According to Amy Castro, the president of the Friends of St. Elizabeth, which manages the food pantry, many of the people they serve are elderly residents who survive only on their Social Security checks.

“They are retired, making [the equivalent of] $5 an hour, and now they don’t have the money,” Castro said. “We also have a lot of people who work, but they do not make enough to pay for everything they need.”

After a rather busy day at the food pantry, as was the case recently, the shelves can be almost empty, and they must be restocked in the course of a week. Items that go rather quickly include things such as sugar and pasta. The pantry also offers refrigerated items such as cheese and eggs, both of which were also notably low this week.

When shopping for food, pantry volunteers often buy off-brand food from places like the Dollar Store or Walmart, since they can not afford to buy the more expensive brand foods. For items such as poultry, which is kept in a freezer in the pantry, they buy products in bulk, which often helps with keeping costs down.

However, donations can come in all shapes and sizes, with people donating a wide variety of brands and types of food. Things that are often in need include cheese and cereal, as well as items like pasta and sugar, all of which empty out weekly.

There is a limit on the amount of food that can be taken by each family, as a way to make sure that food is there for everyone.

Funding for the St. Elizabeth’s pantry can be a bit more difficult compared to the widely recognized East Bay Food Pantry, which is right down the street. The church pantry is privately owned, meaning it cannot receive state funding. When asked why they still have the food pantry here, when there is another one right down the street, Castro and other board members simply replied that there is always a need, mentioning that a lot of the people who visit this pantry visit others as well.

Others helping run the food pantry are Vice President Rosemary Carinha Oliveira, Treasurer Mary Martin, and Secretary Robin Archambault.

While it is run by the church, the pantry is not exclusive to the members of the church. It is exclusive to residents of Bristol and Warren. Identification is made via driver’s license or other forms of identification.

Board members asked that anyone making a food donation check expiration labels, as sometimes people will give food that is expired. Recently, a can was brought in that expired in 2000.

The pantry recently received a grant from the Bristol Merchants Association, who are giving them a portion of the funds from their annual fundraiser.

The pantry is currently setting up their Thanksgiving baskets, which come with canned vegetables and other Thanksgiving foods, along with a gift card so families can purchase turkeys from Stop and Shop if they choose.

The pantry also helps provide donations to residents to help with paying their basic bills, like utilities. The recently saw a spike in that demand as well, with recipients rising from 270 to 301.