First Fruits Food Pantry feeds community need for 20 years

SANBORNTON — Bob Presby stood in the entryway of the First Fruits Food Pantry, flashing a small, compassionate smile while looking over newly arrived food supplies, just in time for Thanksgiving. As director of the pantry, he knows just how great the need is, and was happy to put holiday boxes together for his neighbors.

The First Fruits Food Pantry is celebrating its 20th year, serving about a half-million meals during that span. About 40 Thanksgiving boxes, complete with turkeys, will be given to community members.

“It will have everything for your holiday meal,” Presby said.

The pantry is located in a little spot behind the Mountain View Church, and typically provides groceries to town residents, as well as some people in Tilton and Northfield.

“We have quite the store up here,” Presby said. “There is a very large variety of food, between what we get from USDA, and the food bank, and donations.”

Presby and another volunteer travel to the New Hampshire Food Bank in Manchester every “pantry day,” which is every first and third Wednesday. He also said every two to three months they can get food from the USDA in Concord, which volunteers also go pick up.

He said the pantry has frozen meats while they last, and a variety of canned vegetables, all different kinds of pastas and soups, cereal, and produce like potatoes, carrots and corn. During the summer months, the produce section is much more vast, he said, but there is always something good to walk away with.

Mountain View Church Pastor Matt Beem, who was assistant pastor between 2014 and 2017, and now lead pastor since November 2022, said the congregation has a “huge heart for serving others.” He said the largest part of their ministry budget goes to missions, which includes sending volunteers to Isaiah 61 Café in Laconia and doing work overseas. But right behind the church is where many go to help those in their immediate community.

“The food pantry is part of the heart and soul of our church,” Beem said. “It has been a great way for the congregation to stay connected to the community and do good.”

It was started in 2005, by the late Pastor Robert Robertson and his wife Catherine, who Beem said are dearly loved in the community. The pantry was originally located in the back room of the Town Hall, which Presby said wasn’t an ideal spot. The decision was made to build the new pantry, and away they went.

Planning began in 2006, starting with engineering and design, and in February 2008, they held their first pantry day in the new location. Numbers have been up and down over the years — Presby noted they were especially low during the COVID pandemic — but they were able to stay open to serve what is now an average of 15 to 20 people per night.

Customers mostly include the elderly, as well as some families, and Presby said he knows there are even more who qualify for the assistance, but just don’t take it.

Surprisingly, Presby said despite the “latest battle with Uncle Sam” involving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and the overall economy, there hasn’t been an uptick. He said qualifying for SNAP isn’t a requirement, but about half of who come most likely qualify.

“The need is out there, and unfortunately it is at a point where a lot of people are very hesitant to come out and go to a local pantry,” Presby said. “There are a lot more who I know qualify who just don’t. You say,' Go get food at the pantry,' and they shrug their shoulders and say, ‘No way,’ no matter how hungry.”

That is the case everywhere, whether it's Laconia or Sanbornton, Presby said.

First Fruits Food Pantry has a group of dedicated volunteers, and Presby said it takes about six to run the pantry. They are people who want to make a difference and help the community.

“There are half a dozen people who have been with the pantry the whole 20 years,” Presby said.

Presby has been the director for the past 11 of those years, but his wife Linda has been there right from the beginning. She reminds Presby the day the pantry opened, three people showed up. Whether it is three or 20, Presby is happy to give people the ability to walk away with a week’s worth of groceries.

Recipients must meet certain qualifications to get food from the pantry. Presby said this includes an application form about income, expenses, and whether they receive welfare, veteran disability assistance or receive Social Security benefits. Those, he said, are all automatic qualifications. If someone were to show up and not have the correct documentation, Presby won’t turn them away, but he asks they come prepared next time.

A main indicator of need is the number of meals distributed per year. At its lowest point, about 20,000 meals were served, but normally they send out about 35,000.

“You know, we get people who have hit some really hard times,” Presby said. “But some do settle in, and it might take a year or two years, but life can change around. And they come in and say 'goodbye.' That’s how you know you’ve really helped.”

Presby is getting things stocked for Thanksgiving, and the pantry will also distribute boxes for Christmas and Easter. Those will include a ham and enough for a meal for eight people. They also include a dessert, and for Thanksgiving, that's pumpkin pie.

During Mountain View Church’s Sunday service at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 16, Presby will be speaking, and longtime volunteers will be recognized in celebration of 20 years serving the community. The church is located at 322 Upper Bay Road.

The pantry is open from 4 to 6 p.m. every first and third Wednesday of the month, and offers food for those in need. For more information, visit mviewchurch.com/pantry.