CLEARFIELD – Central Pennsylvania Community Action Inc. (CPCA) and the Trinity United Methodist Church have worked together to provide the Clearfield Food Pantry, located at the church on 121 S. Second St., to the Clearfield community for the past 15 years.
The food pantry is the largest in the county. Last year, the food pantry served 2,381 unduplicated consumers and 1,059 families, providing them with 13,264 food boxes, according to CPCA Executive Director Stacy Locastro.
Further, she said that 612 consumers and 293 families received emergency food assistance. She explained that the major funding for the food pantry is provided from the State Food Purchase Program (SFPP) and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
Donations of food and money from fundraising drives, schools, banks, private companies and individuals also supply a respectable, supplemental source for the pantry, according to Locastro.
Two other factors, she said, have to be considered in running a large pantry: storing all of the food; the pantry requires 10 refrigerators and freezers and heating the area. On a monthly average, she said it costs the church $268 per month for heat and electric for the pantry.
As a result, Locastro said the following suggestions will be taken to reduce the costs to the food pantry area. These include to:
- Install insulation on the interior cement walls. Church volunteers will do the installation.
- Install storm windows or Plexiglas. The CPCA and church will work together to complete this project.
- Install two Hydronic unit heaters in food pantry rooms with digital thermostats, connected to the current boilers system with two zones. This project will be contracted out and has a current estimate to cost $5,940.
With these improvements to the Food Pantry area, Locastro said that Penelec estimates the electric and heating savings to be approximately $1,349 per year.
The CPCA and the Trinity United Methodist Church are asking for help from the Clearfield community to be able to install this new system and complete weatherization measures to help continue to have the Food Pantry at this location for the long-term. Anyone able to make a donation towards the Heating System Upgrades/Weatherization, please make a check payable to CPCA and note “Clearfield Food Pantry Heating.” All donations are tax deductible.
“We appreciate any assistance you can provide to help this great cause in the community,” said Locastro.
