Throughout the year, a variety of churches and local organizations in the Lampeter-Strasburg and Solanco areas help those in need by operating foods banks for the community, and demand often rises once the winter months arrive. Although the organizations share the same goal of meeting locals' basic needs, each food bank can vary in the specific items it offers and its hours of operation.

Solanco Neighborhood Ministries (SNM), 13 S. Church St., Quarryville, offers assistance to families in crisis and allows them to use its food bank once every three months until they get back on their feet. Families can visit the food bank to meet with SNM volunteers, who will verify personal information and discuss what other needs the organization can assist with. For more information, call 717-786-4308.

Lampeter United Methodist Church (LUMC), 1101 Village Road, Lancaster, operates a food pantry that is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon, Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. and the first and third Saturdays of every month from 10 a.m. to noon. The pantry functions similarly to a grocery store; visitors can browse its shelves and select the specific items they need, such as canned foods, meat, fruits, vegetables, pasta and cereal.

LUMC's pantry also offers personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, deodorant and toilet paper, and it includes a section with diapers, formula and baby food for families with infants. During the holidays, the church stocks its pantry with seasonal items like stuffing and ingredients for pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Visitors to the food pantry are able to take advantage of its offerings once per month, with no requirement for eligibility; LUMC only asks that the community reserve the pantry for those in need. If unable to visit the pantry during regular hours, people can set up an appointment by calling 717-464-4161.

"We find that more people come in during the winter months and over the holidays, and the sizes of families coming in are getting larger," said Ivan Haines, a coordinator for the food pantry at LUMC. "The pantry gives people that come a lift; we want it to be a bright spot in the lives of people who are struggling." LUMC also offers a free community meal on the first Wednesday of each month from 5 to 6:15 p.m.

Mission Church, 651 Lampeter Road, Lancaster, also runs a food pantry, with hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon At the Mission Church pantry, families are able to receive one box of nonperishable food per household each month, and visitors must verify their name and address by presenting a form of identification.

Strasburg First Presbyterian Church, 101 S. Decatur St., Strasburg, operates a food bank on Tuesdays and Fridays from 2 to 4 p.m. Similarly to LUMC's pantry, visitors may select their own items, including dairy products, bread, personal hygiene items, paper items and occasionally meat.