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| Line at food pantry continues to grow |
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| Written by John Saiz / Patterson Irrigator | |
| Saturday, 08 December 2007 | |
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Dozens of people lined up outside the Westside Food Pantry last week to get a few days worth of free groceries. This week, the lines returned for the pantry’s Christmas baskets. The pantry, 20 Fifth St., plans to give out baskets packed with goodies to families that signed up.  Dozens of people are still lining up for the group's free Christmas baskets. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator A long line snaked through the parking lot Tuesday, the pantry’s first signup day. By the time the signup period wound down Thursday afternoon, the pantry had about 300 people on its list. Last year, the pantry signed up about 200 families, said Olga Holcombe, pantry president. Westside Food Pantry has had a hard time keeping up with the demand, she said. It relies on a patchwork of charities, churches and civic clubs to keep supplied. As Holcombe and her team of volunteers distributed groceries Thursday, a woman quietly walked in and left a check from a local Boy Scout group.  Westside Food Pantry volunteer JoAnn Cloutier pulls canned goods from the shelves. However, demand appears to be up countywide, leaving many places unable to help. “They’re dry, too,” Holcombe said, referring to one organization that usually supplies them with food. In addition to those seeking holiday packages, the pantry’s offices were packed with people hoping for groceries Thursday, though an even larger crowd came the previous week. Holcombe said more people showed up for groceries last week than she had ever seen in her 10 years at the pantry. Meanwhile, volunteers plan to give the Christmas baskets to families Dec. 15. To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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