CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — People having to make tough choices about spending money on food or other necessities is not a new problem.
But it is one that’s grown over the past couple of years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are people out there giving of themselves to help during times like these when it’s needed most. It’s at the heart of what Kim Reynolds does every day.
Over the past 20 years, she’s been a volunteer and the director for the Resurrection Life food pantry in Cheektowaga.
“You can’t quantify how it makes you feel because you’re doing something bigger than yourself,” said Reynolds. “You’re doing something that’s completely selfless because when you serve at the pantry there is nothing about you in it, it’s about everybody else that surrounds you.”
The emergency food pantry is the largest in Western New York and the need has grown through the COVID-19 pandemic. They serve more than 1,200 families and 3,200 individuals.
“Needing food or needing assistance at times is not a bad thing,” Reynolds said. “We all need help at one time or another. So we offer a hand up instead of a handout.”
Kim leads a group of around 140 volunteers. About 60 of them are there all the time. That includes people like Brenda Klimowicz, who says Kim’s energy and selflessness truly drive the pantry.
“I describe her as trying to nail jello to a wall,” said Klimowicz. “Somebody once told that quote and that fits her because she is non-stop. She is so compassionate about the food pantry, our clients, our volunteers, just this whole program that we have here.”
And with more people needing help, the food pantry has outgrown its current space. Kim’s helping lead the efforts on a building expansion project to more than double their square footage. They’re looking to raise $1.3 million with help from the community to make it happen.
“For 26 years that we’ve been doing this, we have not relied on community support until the pandemic, and that’s because the need grew at a pace faster than our donations were coming in,” Reynolds said.
And central to it all are the clients. The folks who just need a little extra to get by. Walter Myers Jr. is an Air Force veteran who once faced homelessness. But with the help of the food pantry and people like Kim, he has sustenance beyond just something to eat.
“Just an inspiration to keep me going,” said Myers. “Keep my spirits staying high because the last few years really were low.”
It’s the nature of giving, lifting up others and not expecting anything in return.
“For them to have a place to come where they feel welcomed, and not shunned, but to feel as if somebody else loves them outside in the community, that fills our heart,” said Reynolds. “That’s what we do it for.”
The Resurrection Life Food Pantry currently offers drive-thru service, but plans are in the works to return to allowing client-choice shopping inside the building.
If you're in Cheektowaga and need assistance or would like to volunteer or donate, you can get more information at 716-656-8995 or on their website.
