In times of need, the Bevans ensure food pantry is stocked

If you stop by Fellowship Hall at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church with any regularity, there’s a good chance you’ve witnessed Tippi and Al Bevans quietly going about their work stocking and managing the shelves of the Island’s only food pantry.

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, the Bevans could be found in the storeroom, loading boxes of cereal, macaroni and cheese, and pasta sauce onto a rolling cart then moving it to the little shelf-lined corridor that functions as the pantry.

It was 3 p.m. and the pantry had officially closed for the day. By all appearances, there had been a lot of clients in need that week, as many of the shelves were depleted. That may be an early indicator of what sort of traffic the food pantry is likely to see in the months ahead.

“In the winter time is where you really get the people,” Ms. Bevans explained. “So many of them work all summer and fall. In winter, some might go back to their countries to visit their families, but the ones who stay, those are the ones who really need it.”

The Bevans are retired and they took over management of the food pantry back in 2006. It was a natural extension of their longtime volunteer work delivering Meals on Wheels to homebound senior citizens.

“I want to tell you, we took this over because no one wanted the job,” Ms. Bevans continued. “But when Al was out in California and out of a job, he didn’t have much to eat.”

“I went three days with nothing to eat,” confirmed Mr. Bevans. “I said no one should starve. I don’t believe in that.”

Even though that was years ago, before the Bevans were even married, Mr. Bevans never forgot the feeling of going hungry and he wants to make sure no one on the Island goes hungry either.

Today, the food pantry serves a wide range of patrons, from day laborers and young families, to longtime Island residents who may be having troubles making ends meet.

“Every once in a while, someone gets into a hardship,” Ms. Bevans explained. “Something happens and families might separate and they have children and not enough money to feed them. They get desperate. People will recommend that they come here and take what they want.”

“It’s all anonymous,” Mr. Bevans said. “No questions asked.”

That’s unique for an East End food pantry. Most require that recipients register in order to receive food. But Shelter Island’s food pantry is not supervised during open hours and Ms. Bevans explained why.

“Shelter Island is so different from anyplace else,” she said. “In winter time, you know just about everybody. Some of these people don’t want to be seen.”

“No one wants to be known as someone in need on a small island,” said Mr. Bevans.

The Shelter Island Food Pantry relies on donations to meet the needs of its client, not only gifts of food donations, but cash as well, which the Bevans use to go shopping every few weeks. When it’s time to buy food, they head west, up to Riverhead where the dollars go further at stores like BJs, Wal-Mart and Big Lots.

In addition to non-perishable food, the pantry also distributes paper goods and personal items such as soap, shampoo, deodorant, razors, shaving cream, and toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Fortunately, there are a many generous people here. Churches, civic organizations, school groups and individuals all do their part to help the pantry, particularly at this time of year. Though the Bevans don’t actively solicit donations, they confirm that people nevertheless keep the pantry in mind when they do their charitable giving by holding food drives, taking special collections at churches or encouraging friends to help the pantry.

“Every little bit helps,” Ms. Bevans said.

The Shelter Island Food Pantry is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The pantry is located in Fellowship Hall at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. To learn more, visit sipchurch.org.