Students respond to Facebook plea, help fill FCC food pantry

It started with a brief announcement on Facebook?a short, dire message from the Franklin Community Center in Saratoga Springs: 

"Food Pantry SOS -- We have NOTHING on our shelves to give! Please consider donating non-perishable items to our pantry. We're open Monday-Friday 8a-4p."

Posted Oct. 25, the message has since gone viral, hitting businesses, organizations, and individuals throughout the Saratoga community, including the Skidmore campus. Courtney Bissell, FCC's coordinator of development and volunteers, acknowledged, "We are usually not so brazen. But I walked into the food pantry that day and saw nothing on the shelves. Since the word has gone out, our shelves have slowly been restocked, and we think we'll have enough on hand for a few weeks."

Helping to spread the word was an article in a local weekly newspaper and reposting of the Facebook message by dozens of people. Bissell said several groups have made large donations, and a steady stream of visitors, "10 to 15 a day," have dropped off donations at FCC's building at 10 Franklin St.

One group providing a large donation was Skidmore's Interclass Council (ICC), which consists of the officers of each of the College's four classes. The students got to work shortly after Bissell's message first appeared on Facebook. Said Elizabeth ("Libby") Gronquist, president of the Class of 2011 and ICC chair, "One of the stipulations of ICC this year is to connect to the Saratoga Springs community. When we heard about the FCC's need, we put together an emergency can drive and gathered about 14 boxes of non-perishable food in less than one week."

Fellow students also donated about $400 to the cause. On Nov. 1, ICC members drove to the FCC to deliver their donations. The FCC then asked the students to turn the donated funds into needed products. Gronquist said, "They gave us a list, and we went shopping," purchasing items such as diapers, and pantry staples such as peanut butter, pasta sauce, and vegetables. The purchases filled two cars and were delivered Nov. 2 to the FCC. 

Bissell was thrilled by the students' generosity and energy. "They provided huge help," she said. "We were grateful for the students' donation of funds, but we have a staff of just five people. If we were to shop for needed items, that would have been less time spent with individuals who need our assistance. The students were very receptive and open to our guidance. We appreciated their enthusiasm."

Gronquist said that she and Dan DeMartini, vice president of the Class of 2011, were happy to handle the shopping chores, and surprised at how quickly the money was spent.

Visits to the FCC nearly doubled in one month, from 285 people in September to more than 500 in October of this year. Bissell attributed the uptick to the slow job market, a sluggish economy, and the inability of donors to contribute at the same level as in the past.

FCC has no means test or restrictions on its food bank. "We know that people are making ends meet as best as they can," said Bissell. "We don't want to establish barriers to our food program, because we recognize that it can be pretty humbling to ask for food."

She had special praise for DeMartini, a Skidmore lacrosse player, for his continued efforts on behalf of the FCC. In early October, the lacrosse team devoted a day of work at the FCC, a tradition established by varsity lacrosse coach Jack Sandler. The team raked leaves and did other clean-up tasks. Bissell commended DeMartini, adding, "He's done double-duty at the center, by raking leaves and also filling the food pantry shelves."

As far as the Skidmore ICC is concerned, the Franklin Community Center will be seeing more Skidmore students this year. The council will return to help with holiday tasks over the next few weeks, and also will assist with maintenance chores and spring yard work next semester. Said Gronquist, "We're so lucky to be in Saratoga Springs. We think this is a good way to show it."