One of Berkshire County’s Biggest Food Pantries Has Changed its Shopping Schedule

Many families throughout Berkshire County and beyond continue to rely on food pantries to make ends meet. One of those pantries is the People's Pantry in Great Barrington.

Each month, I check in with Laura Gratz (People's Pantry President) for updates. Laura has mentioned numerous times that folks continue to rely on the People's Pantry, and the lines on shopping day are still very long, but most people, including the staff, have a smile on their faces as it's making a difference in many people's lives.

Laura has also made it a point to let the public know that the People's Pantry doesn't ask any questions regarding income, reason for shopping, or anything like that, and anybody from any town, inside or outside of Great Barrington and the Berkshires, can shop at the People's Pantry, no questions asked. It's a free-choice shopping pantry.

For the longest time, shopping hours at the People's Pantry were on Monday afternoons and Thursday mornings. The Thursday morning hours (10 am - 12:30 pm) will remain the same, but starting on July 7, the Monday shopping hours are going to move to Tuesday from 4 pm - 6 pm. Laura spoke of the change from Monday to Tuesday in a recent interview I conducted with her. Laura stated the following regarding the new shopping schedule.

We are now open Tuesday from 4-6 and Thursday as usual from 10 am - 12:30 pm. Hopefully people will find us on Tuesday afternoons. I don't think it's going to be a problem. What's going to be great is we don't have to contend with Monday holidays and people worrying about whether or not we're open. We always were open, but it became very confusing, so Tuesday will be a great day to shop.

The People's Pantry is located at Saint James Place on Taconic Avenue in Great Barrington. You can make a donation to the People's Pantry anytime by going here.