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The expanding pantry: Move means more food for Community Services

By Staff | Oct 1, 2014

MEL TOADVINE Rae Nicely, director of Lehigh Community Services, with the new shelving installed last week at the expanded community pantry.

Talk about being excited, those who know Rae Nicely, the president and executive director of Lehigh Community Services, are not surprised today to see smiles all over her face because of the extended room for her community pantry at her agency on Plaza Drive.

Last week, the halls and the offices of her agency were filled with racks of food, some empty and some not, sort of stuck in between desks where staffers were trying to work. Nicely likes thing neat, thinks put in place and a clean area.

“Well I am so happy now that we opened our expanded pantry here in our office complex. We have doubled the room for food. I really am excited about this,” she said with a big smile. Now there is a mezanine to use to store food higher up on the shelves.

While there have been shelves of food in the food pantry for people to select when they come there to get food, the pantry just wasn’t situated in a way to hold all the food that the agency has on hand.

“Thanks to the postal workers last spring collecting almost 40,000 pounds of food from people in Lehigh who left food near their mail box and thanks to others who help us, now we can put all that food in one place.

MEL TOADVINE Preparing and cleaning new shelving were these two women last week at Lehigh Community Services. The new shelves will double the capacity of food that Lehigh Community Services can house in its own office complex.

“We can save money because we had to rent an air conditioned storage unit because we couldn’t put all the food here and that was an expense,” Nicely said.

“Now with the addition of new shelving and the upgrade of our community pantry, we have doubled the amount of food here to be given away. When the shelves were empty in the old pantry, we had to go to the storage unit and bring more over.”

Nicely’s agency is the main place in Lehigh for food distribution. Those who need food can come to the offices on one of three days a week to get supplies. The pantry is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

Those who qualify must have filled out forms and have brought in their IDs and showed their sources of income before they can get help.

“We have more and more people who are coming in for help. I think there are a lot of people moving to Lehigh from the east coast and of course, we have a large population here in Lehigh, too,” Nicely said.

Rae Nicely

As she showed the community pantry area last week, she repeated just how thrilled she would be this week when the shelving has been replaced, some of will almost reach the ceiling and she is appreciative of her employees who have worked hard to make sure everything is clean.

Nicely said plans to expand the community food pantry have been underway for two years and in just two weeks, “we have doubled the area for our food. You bet I am thrilled,” she said.

This is also the week that the Harry Chapin food bank in Fort Myers brings a delivery of food for the local food pantry.

In the past visitors to the pantry could pick out selected foods, but the pantry didn’t have room for lots of the foods that were to be given out.

Now with the help of her small staff and a few volunteers, it will be much easier for the food distribution and that means all the world to Nicely, who likes thing neat, clean and in place.

And for the last few weeks, it hasn’t been that way while changes were being made in the pantry, which is at the back of the office complex.

Community Services is also the United Way House and the agency offers several other services.

When asked about the number of people who are coming to get the free food, Nicely said it figures out to “about 50 families a day.”

“We’re seeing a lot of new people, in addition to those who still need help because the family has no or little income. Most still don’t have jobs.

The recession in Lehigh Acres isn’t over. It may be better in other areas of the country, but there are many people in Southwest Florida who still can’t find a job and have no money to buy food. Churches and clubs help to provide food, too.

“Such is the case when the Rotary Club of Lehigh has Halloween event, the ‘Haunted Walk,’ and the public can go for $3 and they get a dollar off if they bring a can for Lehigh Community Services,” Nicely said.

“I am just so appreciative of the people who help us locally. There’s places like Winn-Dixie and Pizza Hut in addition to others who bring us food. It all helps to feed those who have no other way of getting food,” she said. “That why we are here, to be of help.”

Lehigh Community Services also pays a limited amount of help for some utility bills. For more information, go to their office on Plaza Drive and apply if help is some help is needed.

The expanding pantry: Move means more food for Community Services

By Staff | Oct 1, 2014

MEL TOADVINE Rae Nicely, director of Lehigh Community Services, with the new shelving installed last week at the expanded community pantry.

Talk about being excited, those who know Rae Nicely, the president and executive director of Lehigh Community Services, are not surprised today to see smiles all over her face because of the extended room for her community pantry at her agency on Plaza Drive.

Last week, the halls and the offices of her agency were filled with racks of food, some empty and some not, sort of stuck in between desks where staffers were trying to work. Nicely likes thing neat, thinks put in place and a clean area.

“Well I am so happy now that we opened our expanded pantry here in our office complex. We have doubled the room for food. I really am excited about this,” she said with a big smile. Now there is a mezanine to use to store food higher up on the shelves.

While there have been shelves of food in the food pantry for people to select when they come there to get food, the pantry just wasn’t situated in a way to hold all the food that the agency has on hand.

“Thanks to the postal workers last spring collecting almost 40,000 pounds of food from people in Lehigh who left food near their mail box and thanks to others who help us, now we can put all that food in one place.

MEL TOADVINE Preparing and cleaning new shelving were these two women last week at Lehigh Community Services. The new shelves will double the capacity of food that Lehigh Community Services can house in its own office complex.

“We can save money because we had to rent an air conditioned storage unit because we couldn’t put all the food here and that was an expense,” Nicely said.

“Now with the addition of new shelving and the upgrade of our community pantry, we have doubled the amount of food here to be given away. When the shelves were empty in the old pantry, we had to go to the storage unit and bring more over.”

Nicely’s agency is the main place in Lehigh for food distribution. Those who need food can come to the offices on one of three days a week to get supplies. The pantry is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

Those who qualify must have filled out forms and have brought in their IDs and showed their sources of income before they can get help.

“We have more and more people who are coming in for help. I think there are a lot of people moving to Lehigh from the east coast and of course, we have a large population here in Lehigh, too,” Nicely said.

Rae Nicely

As she showed the community pantry area last week, she repeated just how thrilled she would be this week when the shelving has been replaced, some of will almost reach the ceiling and she is appreciative of her employees who have worked hard to make sure everything is clean.

Nicely said plans to expand the community food pantry have been underway for two years and in just two weeks, “we have doubled the area for our food. You bet I am thrilled,” she said.

This is also the week that the Harry Chapin food bank in Fort Myers brings a delivery of food for the local food pantry.

In the past visitors to the pantry could pick out selected foods, but the pantry didn’t have room for lots of the foods that were to be given out.

Now with the help of her small staff and a few volunteers, it will be much easier for the food distribution and that means all the world to Nicely, who likes thing neat, clean and in place.

And for the last few weeks, it hasn’t been that way while changes were being made in the pantry, which is at the back of the office complex.

Community Services is also the United Way House and the agency offers several other services.

When asked about the number of people who are coming to get the free food, Nicely said it figures out to “about 50 families a day.”

“We’re seeing a lot of new people, in addition to those who still need help because the family has no or little income. Most still don’t have jobs.

The recession in Lehigh Acres isn’t over. It may be better in other areas of the country, but there are many people in Southwest Florida who still can’t find a job and have no money to buy food. Churches and clubs help to provide food, too.

“Such is the case when the Rotary Club of Lehigh has Halloween event, the ‘Haunted Walk,’ and the public can go for $3 and they get a dollar off if they bring a can for Lehigh Community Services,” Nicely said.

“I am just so appreciative of the people who help us locally. There’s places like Winn-Dixie and Pizza Hut in addition to others who bring us food. It all helps to feed those who have no other way of getting food,” she said. “That why we are here, to be of help.”

Lehigh Community Services also pays a limited amount of help for some utility bills. For more information, go to their office on Plaza Drive and apply if help is some help is needed.