Mason Girl Scout Troop 59253 made a special donation to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Greenville last week after collecting more than 10 bags of dog food for families in need.

Troop members, including Maggie and Hanna Greenwood, Ava Spear, Liberty Halbrooks, Sienna Marsh and Skyler Bennett, made a trip to the food pantry on Friday to personally deliver their donation.

“I thought it was wonderful,” said Kevin Little, president of St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. The pantry is located in the Sacred Heart Church in Greenville, and serves the surrounding area, including Mason.

Little said that in addition to food, the pantry gets donations of other staples such as toilet paper, but rarely pet food.

“This is very unusual, but there is definitely a need,” Little said.

Particularly currently, Little said.

“Our need has gone up by about 500 percent, compared to last April,” Little said. “The number of individuals and the number of families coming to us have both increased.”

Little said there are a number of factors contributing to the need, including pressure on assistance programs such as food stamps and the rising cost of living, particularly for food.

“We were going to the food bank once every other week. It’s now every week,” Little said.

The St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry currently serves over 15,000 meals per month. The pantry is most in need of soups, coffee, tea, crackers,jelly and bottled juice. Food donations can be dropped off at the pantry during operating hours or the Sacred Heart Church office.

The pantry is open every Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., or Monday through Friday by appointment. It is located behind the Sacred Heart Church on 15 High St. in Greenville. For an appointment, call 603-878-0518. Walk-ins are welcome.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.

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