After five years of reduced shopping capacity due to COVID-19 and other considerations, the Help Yourself Shelf at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Wiscasset is going back to its all-at-once food pantry distributions starting Thursday, May 1. No more waiting in long lines in the car: patrons will be able to shop all together every Thursday from 5-6 p.m.
Come to the parish hall at 12 Hodge St. a few minutes early to check in, view selection options, and visit. Once the line begins, late arrivals will need to line up at the end no matter their number.
As the Bargain Basement Thrift Store will continue to be open for shopping from 2-5 p.m. on Thursdays, be sure to check out the bargains while visiting.
Aid in setting up is always appreciated. The organizing begins at 4 p.m. and many hands make light work.
Even though participation will be all at once, there will still be a staggered starting order based on the client number given upon registration. The starting numbers rotate on a weekly basis. This format is constituted for the process to be as fair as possible for all. Options and amounts available will dictate how little or how much can be chosen that week.
People on the current delivery list will continue receiving their distributions as per usual unless they opt to attend in person. There are, however, only a couple of accessible parking spaces available near the doors to the hall, so mobility needs to be taken into consideration if interested in attending in person.
Standard parking will return to the church lot with overflow parking on the church side of Hodge Street. Please help the food pantry by parking close enough to each other to maximize the space in the lot. A parking attendant will be present for the first few weeks to help.
For more information, email at helpyourselfshelf@gmail.com or call St. Philip’s at 882-7184, leaving a brief message with a name and a return number.
