The Octorara Area Food Cupboard (OAFC) recently welcomed Cherie Myers as its new director. She succeeds longtime director Judy Dougherty, who retired last September after serving the pantry as director for 18 years.

Myers, who has lived in Parkesburg for 35 years, previously worked at the Coatesville Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center.

"I retired from the VA Medical Center in July after 18 years as administrative officer of nutrition and food services," she stated. "At the Coatesville VA Medical Center, we had a food bank, and I was involved with that. I had a lot of experience in what they needed."

As the OAFC director, Myers is responsible for fielding phone calls, completing administrative duties and garnering food donations. She also leads the all-volunteer staff, who help with duties such as sorting, stocking shelves and assisting clients who visit the pantry. "The volunteers are absolutely wonderful," she shared.

Volunteers are especially needed in the sorting room, where incoming donations are labeled. "If the Cub Scouts have a food drive and they bring in a trailer, they load it into our storage shed out back, and then they weigh it as they bring it in," she explained. "Every piece has to be sorted and dated before it goes out on the shelf."

Some of the food distributed at the food pantry comes from the Chester County Food Bank as well as state and federal providers, but much of the food comes from food drives. "We get generous donations from the community," Myers said, noting that local grocery stores also donate food, including baked goods.

The pantry is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and from 2 to 3:45 p.m. Although a drive-through format was utilized during the pandemic, clients are now able to "shop" for the items that they need inside the building, including canned goods, dairy products and fresh vegetables. "Once a month they get a big order, and weekly, they get a partial (order of food)," Myers noted. "In two days, we serve over 100 families. This past week we gave out oranges, pineapples and we even had sweet corn."

She said people of all ages utilize the food bank, including senior citizens and young mothers with children. "You hear all kinds of stories," Myers said. "Some of the people I see here work in the businesses around here. It's not that people don't work; they are living paycheck to paycheck and trying to make ends meet."

The OAFC serves all of the Octorara Area School District as well as residents of the Pomeroy, Sadsburyville, Compass, Wagontown, Doe Run, Gum Tree and Ercildoun areas. Existing clients must complete paperwork, which includes providing proof of residency, every July, and first-time clients can register when they arrive.

The OAFC is always in need of nonperishable food donations. The current OAFC wish list includes kidney beans, tomato products, pork and beans, canned potatoes, red beets, canned chicken and Spam. For March, the list of needed items includes heat-and-serve soups, canned pasta, pasta sauce, peanut butter and jelly and boxed potatoes such as au gratin and scalloped varieties.

"We need donations of food or money (to buy) food. If we run out of donated food, we purchase food," Myers noted.

Myers said she has been enjoying her new job because of the opportunity to work with people from the community. "I was not interacting with people; I was interacting with my computer (at my previous job)," she stated. "With my background, I like to be around people; I used to own a hair salon."

"It is something new every day," she added. "Coming in, you think you are (just) giving out food. Then you meet the people and their babies. One (client) just got her citizenship, so she was celebrating, and we celebrated (with her)."

The OAFC is located at 714 W. Main St., Parkesburg, next to The Parkesburg POINT Youth Center. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/OctoraraAreaFoodCupboard or http://www.octfood.com. Those with questions may call 610-857-4000 or email oafc424@gmail.com.