WESTBROOK – With the Thanksgiving holiday only a week away, the Westbrook Food Pantry is gearing up for what are usually two of its busiest weeks of the year. And this year, the pantry has fine-tuned its distribution process to accommodate a growing and diversifying clientele.

According to Westbrook Food Pantry Director Jeanne Rielly, in previous years, the pantry offered whole turkeys and created large Thanksgiving baskets for clients to take. But with a changing clientele, changes were needed.

“Our numbers got so huge that we thought we had to do something different,” she said on Monday, noting that pantry space had become an issue. She said that the pantry didn’t have enough floor space to accommodate all of the pre-made food baskets.

According to Rielly, the pantry, which is open only on Tuesdays from noon-2 p.m. and 6-7:30 p.m., has already seen growing numbers of residents utilize the facility in November, with roughly 220 people needing everything the pantry offers during the last two Tuesdays.

Rielly said she expects those numbers to continue into next Tuesday, just two days before Thanksgiving.

Rielly said that this year, instead of offering pre-made baskets, the pantry is stacking multiple shelves full of items that would normally have gone into the Thanksgiving baskets, such as corn, cranberry sauce and stuffing.

“We’re also making sure we have extra potatoes and apples so there’s something extra when people do the full pantry,” she said.

The Westbrook Food Pantry, at the Fred C. Wescott Building, 426 Bridge St., is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization providing free supplemental food to Westbrook residents. The pantry receives food and financial support through food drives, local businesses, Wayside Food Programs in Portland, and government agencies and donations from churches, individual and memorial gifts.

Also new this year are Hannaford gift cards, which will be handed out to all pantry-goers to use at the supermarket.

“Our clients are getting the extras, but it’s just not the great big sea of baskets we’ve done in the past,” Rielly said.

She added that the gift card idea has stemmed from an influx in refugee and immigrant populations utilizing the pantry who don’t necessarily need or want the traditional foods associated with Thanksgiving.

“Our clientele has changed to some degree, so we are hoping this can help families buy the fish or other items they would like to have,” she said.

Gearing up for the pantry to open its doors on Tuesday, food pantry volunteers organized boxes of food donated from Hannaford. Rielly said that Hannaford usually supplies roughly 15 to 20 banana boxes full of food, which are picked up and delivered by the city’s public works employees.

“Our pantry simply couldn’t function if we didn’t have support from Hannaford,” she said.

The recent changes follow a major change from three years ago, when the pantry stopped offering whole turkeys for Thanksgiving. Rielly said the whole turkeys, ranging from 8-10 pounds, were too large and too big of an undertaking for many people who didn’t even have ovens.

In order to participate, families or individuals must register at the pantry by providing proof of residency in Westbrook.

“That’s the one thing we ask to verify,” said Rielly. “We don’t ask to verify financial status or employment.”

Rielly said that this year’s donations have been steady. Representatives from Sappi Fine Paper’s technology center dropped off the results of their food drive on Monday afternoon, which were tote bags full of canned goods and other items.

Amy Blakely, a research scientist at Sappi who is in charge of a volunteer United Way campaign committee made up of Sappi employees, said Tuesday that the food drive was a portion of the campaign aimed at supporting a local charity.

“We not only had people bring donations in, we also had some cash we used to buy items for the pantry, as well,” she said. “It’s nice to give back to the community, and people at the technology center are generous with their time and money, which is nice to see.”

Also on Monday, Westbrook scientific manufacturer Artel made a cash donation, and announced a food drive for the pantry.

Don Morrison, the director of Wayside Food Programs in Portland, which provides food to the Westbrook Food Pantry, said Tuesday that this time of year, “hunger is on everybody’s radar, which is wonderful. But we try to convey the message that people aren’t just hungry at Thanksgiving.”

Morrison said that there is so much food coming now that Wayside is able to sort it, inventory it, and distribute it well into the winter months.

Wayside also provides food to My Place Teen Center and Vineyard Church of Greater Portland, both in Westbrook. The teen center, which offers a hot meal provided by Wayside every Wednesday, will host a free Thanksgiving dinner next Wednesday from 5-6 p.m. Morrison said all the food for the weekly meal is cooked in Wayside’s Portland kitchen and transported to the teen center, much like a catering service.

Vineyard Church, near Prides Corner, will be distributing roughly 175 Thanksgiving boxes on Sunday, Nov. 24.

A CLOSER LOOK

Thanksgiving food events locally include:

Vineyard Church of Greater Portland: Distribution of Thanksgiving boxes including turkeys, canned vegetables, stuffing and more, Sunday, Nov. 24, 715 Bridgton Road. Those who need a box must call by Friday, Nov. 22, 854-8339.

Westbrook Food Pantry: Full pantry Tuesday, Nov. 26 from noon-2 p.m. and 6-7:30 p.m., Westbrook Community Center, 426 Bridge St. For more information on the Westbrook Food Pantry, visit www.westbrookfoodpantry.org or call 591-8147.

My Place Teen Center: Thanksgiving dinner Wednesday, Nov. 27, from 5-6 p.m., 755 Main St.

Mister Bagel: In Gorham, a free Thanksgiving meal will be served at noon on Thursday, Nov. 28, at Mister Bagel, 13 New Portland Road. Organizer Roxanne Moody, whose daughter owns the Mr. Bagel restaurant, said it will be a traditional Thanksgiving menu. The meal is open to the public. For reservations, call Moody at 839-4516.

Volunteers Marie Carroll, left, and Sondra Taylor, sort through a variety of fruits and vegetables donated by Hannaford, at the Westbrook Food Pantry this week.