Note: This is the eighth in a weekly series of articles submitted by the United Way of Union County that will run during the course of its annual campaign. Each week will feature a different United Way program. This week’s article features the Union County Personal Needs Pantry.

Cinda Speakman took her full shopping bag and boarded the UCATS van to head home. The 80-year old resident of the Richwood Civic Center was one of a dozen senior citizens who made the monthly van trip to the Union County Personal Needs Pantry last week to stock up on cleaning supplies and bathroom necessities such as toothpaste and deodorant.

“I’m on a limited income and any of the stuff I get is helpful,” Speakman said. “I probably would have to go without it until I would get my check the first of the month.”

Speakman is one of the hundreds of individuals and families who will utilize the United Way Member Agency this month to supplement their own stock of personal hygiene and household cleaning items. The Pantry provides items that can’t be purchased with food stamps, including basic necessities such as toilet paper, soap, shampoo, trash bags, laundry detergent, and dish soap. What began as an outreach program of Trinity Lutheran Church in Marysville in 2000 has become a countywide program that serves over 400 households a month. That’s 10 times more than the 40 families a month that were helped five years ago.

“I would say that over half of the families who utilize the pantry are working poor,” said Barb Snodgres, a Pantry volunteer and Task Force Member. “They have a job, but it may be something that pays not much more than minimum wage. A lot of them are single mothers. If there are two adults in the family, one has typically just lost their job. The senior citizens who use it are typically those who are trying to live off of social security.

“I think Union County has always been perceived as a low-unemployment area. And it is. But that has made our cost of living higher than a lot of the surrounding areas. So we have this group of people who are having to pay high rent, and they don’t have the income to support it.”

The Union County Personal Needs Pantry helps those on fixed incomes to stretch their budget, providing a modest amount of items to get them through the month. Products typically will not be name brand, but are most appreciated by the clients who access the Pantry after being referred there by another social service agency, school, church, or doctor.

“We had a lady who actually counted and knew how many squares of toilet paper she would need to get her to the end of the month,” Snodgres said. “She said she was ashamed to admit that she would sometimes go into a public restroom, pull off so many sheets of toilet paper, and stuff them in her purse.

“There are mothers who really have to count the diapers and be frugal with the diaper wipes,” Snodgres added. “I’ll think about that when I’m changing my grandson’s diapers. These mothers know the baby has a dirty diaper, but he just has to sit in it for awhile because they don’t have any more money and they have to make this pack of diapers last until the end of the week. Or maybe the baby has diaper rash and there’s no cream to put on. It just breaks my heart because I can’t imagine not being able to do that for the baby.”

Snodgres says that in addition to its annual United Way allocation, the Pantry needs consistent support from the community throughout the year to keep the shelves stocked. Both financial and actual donations are needed. Baby items, diapers, and deodorant are always in high-demand. The Pantry recently applied for $5,000 in emergency funding from the United Way of Union County on top of its regular quarterly allocation to get them through the year. But because of depleted funds, United Way was unable to provide the grant. United Way did award a $5,000 in additional emergency funding in 2004.

FAST FACTS ABOUT THE UNION COUNTY PERSONAL NEEDS PANTRY:

• 2005 United Way allocation was $20,000 (or 44% of its budget).
• Is staffed entirely by volunteers.
• The Pantry stocks the following items: toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant, facial tissues, toilet paper, feminine needs, paper towels, bleach, dish detergent, laundry soap, baby diapers, baby wipes, trash bags, band-aids, light bulbs, cotton balls, q-tips, hair brushes, combs, and cleaning supplies.
• The Pantry is open Tuesdays from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to Noon. It’s also open on the first Thursday of every month from Noon to 2:00 p.m.
• The Pantry is located at 209 S. Oak St. in Marysville and online at www.personalneedspantry.com