Archive: Around Town

Nearly everyone who has known her for very long refers to  Lansing resident Mary Searles as if her name were one word:  "Marysearles."  And she's a keeper of many lists.

This little known fact was uncovered as the result of  an innocent enough remark, "Gee, you must have a lot of lists!", but the words were no more than out of my mouth than the  Director of the Lansing Food Pantry rolled her eyes heavenward, leaned her head on the lunch counter  and sighed "Oh, yes!  We couldn't function without  our lists!".

"Marysearles"  has been running  the Lansing Food Pantry since 1994, when its founder and her minister husband moved on to another congregation. Up until two years ago, "Marysearles" kept up with ALL the various lists...the shopping lists, the volunteer lists, the donors lists, lists of funding sources, qualification guidelines for recipients, so on and so forth.

The extraordinarily long monthly shopping list was taken over then by Diane Skroback, an engineer with Wilson Engineering in Ithaca, who has been an  LUMC member  and food pantry volunteer for many years. She constantly inventories what is on hand and then orders what is needed from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier and their other sources of supplies.  Also, since her office is near Tops, she often picks up the bakery goods it donates.  She said "I'm so close anyway that  I can pick it all up in my van when it's ready, without someone else having to make a special  trip clear down  from Lansing".

The most recent list keeper is Nancy B. Myers, who took over the accountant type duties after  retiring from a  17 year career in the banking industry.  Not only does she put in many hours on-site before, during and after the monthly distribution, "because I'm hyperactive anyway!",  Nancy takes care of the banking, check writing, bill paying, deposits and tracks donor participation. On a list.

The Lansing Food Pantry, operating out of a large and  securely locked room at the Lansing United Methodist Church, 32 Brickyard Road,  is a joint effort of three churches just a stones throw away from each other:  All Saints Catholic Church, Grace Baptist Church and Lansing United Methodist Church.   Each contributes funding, each supplies volunteer help to unload the incoming trucks, then to sort and distribute the food once a month to needy families.  Groups of large, strong and athletic teenagers often show up to carry boxes of food to vehicles.

For  the December distribution day, the Tuesday Quilters bake way too many cookies!  Those and other goodies go into Christmas print tote bags stitched up for the children by   Kay's Crew  to make the event into an annual Christmas Party.

Members of the individual churches, along with many community members are always on hand to help whenever they are called on to do so.  In fact, "Marysearles" says her Volunteers List contains over 100 names.  She is so grateful for each one, saying "I could not do what I do, and the Food Pantry could not  do what it does, without those volunteers".

There are some items the Lansing Food Pantry does have to pay for.  For instance, there's a large  truck from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier that arrives every other Monday with  deliveries to the various pantries. 

Each pantry has to buy some of their food and each does pay an annual delivery fee of $25.00 for this service, which is, according to "Marysearles", "Dirt cheap.  I just hope they can continue  this way with gas getting so expensive."

Turek Farms of King Ferry and Lansing provides produce and fruit, either for no charge or at their cost.  Potatoes come from Cornell in the fall, and special collections are taken up at the individual churches to buy what is needed.  A Sunday School  calls their effort "Souper Sunday" and they take up the offerings in  actual soup  pots borrowed from the  kitchen cabinets of that church.

One Monday a month, all the list making and behind the scenes work comes together at Lansing United Methodist Church to distribute about a weeks supply of food.  The amount each person is given is according to the number of people in the household.  Lists are kept, noting the ever-changing qualifications for the  participants, whether children, adults or seniors. Every six months, a new applicaiton form has to be filled out by each participant...which results in more lists!

Then, there's the  report "Marysearles" fills out for the Southern Tier Food Bank, drawing together the bits and pieces of information off their three lists from each months food distribution.

After a very busy few hours on those Monday, the three list keepers meet for a "How did we do today?" discussion.  Every other month, all 14 Tompkins County food pantries meet to  discuss  the same things, and network on problems and solutions.

Funding for the  various food pantries comes from a wide variety of sources, including a "Line of Credit" item from the Tompkins County Legislature.  Other sources can be counted on to donate  during a certain month of the year.  For instance, "Marysearles" noted, "In March, it's the Farm Bureau.

In May is the Post Office Food Drive.  Crop Walk in October,  United Way in September. There's so many groups involved!"   She noted funds, products or services  being provided by Tompkins County Farm Bureau, Lansing Central School, Women's Bible Study groups and Lansingville Auxiliary.  A matching funds grant was earned from the Feinstein Foundation this past year.

Plus, there are concerned members of the community who simply send in the occasional check to help out, bring in cases of food, or help out with the annual Christmas Party.

It would appear that the keeping of a lot of lists has been the route to success for the Lansing Food Pantry!

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