A Season of Giving in Springs

The holiday season is a time for gathering, generosity, and caring for one another — and this past week at Springs Food Pantry, we saw those values come to life in the most meaningful ways.

This year, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve fall on our regular Distribution Wednesdays, which means the Pantry will be closed for two consecutive weeks. To ensure families still have what they need to celebrate the holidays with dignity and choice, we are providing extra food in advance, along with additional IGA gift cards, so families can shop for the foods that matter most to them during the holidays.

While this approach increases our costs, it allows us to meet families where they are — honoring traditions, preferences, and the importance of choice during this special time of year.

This past Wednesday, we were able to provide food to over 370 families — more than 1,460 family members, representing nearly a 20% increase over the week prior. While the growing need is sobering, the outpouring of generosity from our community made the day feel truly celebratory.

We were grateful to share not only food, but also joy:

• Members of Pitch Your Peers, their children, and with leadership from Brooke Bohnsack assembled 400 Christmas stockings filled with sweets and small gifts for children. In the spirit of community, they also packaged stockings for our local sister pantries — 170 for Sag Harbor Community Food Pantry, 256 for East Hampton Food Pantry, and 50 for Montauk Food Pantry.

• The Springs School Diversity Club lovingly prepared individually wrapped hot cocoa packets, complete with marshmallows and peppermint candy canes.

• The Threads of Kindness group from Springs Library contributed beautifully hand-crocheted and knitted hats, gloves, and scarves, bringing warmth in every sense of the word.

• Several volunteers added to the festive spirit by providing Santa hats, treats, cookies, panettone, and sparkling cider, shared among volunteer teams during a very busy distribution.

Days like this remind us what’s possible when a community comes together. Thanks to our supporters, volunteers, and community partners, we were able to offer not just nourishment, but comfort, dignity, and a sense of celebration to Springs families during the holidays.

As we continue through the season, we remain deeply grateful for everyone who makes this work possible. Your generosity — especially steady, monthly support — helps ensure that moments like these can happen again and again, throughout the year. As part of our Holiday Appeal, we invite you to consider becoming a monthly donor — your steady support helps ensure we can continue providing food, dignity, and care for Springs families all year long.

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From all of us at Springs Food Pantry, we wish you a very happy holiday season.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Holly Reichart-Wheaton

Chairperson, Springs Food Pantry