Food Pantry's Location 'Embarrassing?'

It's tough to notice sometimes among the gleaming SUVs and picturesque homes that generally define much of Wilton's aesthetic, but there is a less glamorous side to life in town.

People here are hungry and while that hunger doesn't abound for many, it is acute for some. Fortunately, Wilton's Social Services Committee has been working hard to feed those families in need and help them not to be embarassed by their difficult circumstances.

The number of families receiving food aid has fallen a bit, from a high of 55 last October to 40 households in April, according to Director of Social Services Cathy Pierce.

"But the food pantry is still being used as much as it has been, it's just that the number of new families is down," she said in a presentation to the Board of Selectmen late last month.

Pierce and First Selectman Bill Brennan had an interesting exchange at the meeting in which they discussed the logistics of the food pantry, including how people get to and from it, and how they might improve it in the future.

"Everyone [that comes to the pantry] has to walk past Parks and Rec," Pierce said. "It's embarrassing [for them]."

Pierce's point was that, particularly in a generally affluent town like Wilton, those in need may be dissuaded from seeking the help they need and could benefit from because they wouldn't want to be recognized for using the service. Having to turn to a food pantry, in many people's eyes, is a shot to their pride.

Minimizing that hurt, then, will be a focus of Social Services and the selectmen going forward.

"I think we can make some improvements to the food pantry," Brennan said. "You're running on a shoestring and there are some things we could do over there that might make it a more attractive place to come," which included creating a separate, private entrance to the pantry and making the rooms more aethestically pleasing.

Pierce, meanwhile, touted the hard work of the nine members of the Social Services Committee, which meets monthly at Comstock, in meeting the demands of a growing town population despite a flat town budget and difficult economic circumstances. She cited, in particular, the committee's work with the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County.

"What was once a wall in a room is now a three-room pantry," Pierce said of the burgeoning food stores at Comstock used to help feed Wiltonians in need.

Pierce said that the Wilton Food Bank Committee, formed in Februrary, now has about 22 volunteers that collect food from the food bank, help sort it and also distribute it. In 2009, the town received 4,500 visits to the food pantry but that number rose to around 4,800 visits in 2010.