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October 29, 2025By Bill Doyle | CFP Correspondent
About 30-40 people in need usually line up to receive free food at the Bucky Sheehan Food Pantry at St. Bernard’s Church on the final Monday of each month, but last Monday about 50 people did.
Another 10 or so also seek emergency assistance from the pantry through Facebook or by visiting the rectory to see Father Jonathan J. Slavinskas, pastor at Our Lady of Providence Parish at St. Bernard Church.
Christine Consolmagno, who has managed the pantry since 2009 with Sheila Ponte, said the pantry lacks the supplies to accommodate that many people every month.
She realizes that the demand for food among those in need could soar even higher if the federal government follows through on its intention to halt Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on Saturday, Nov. 1, if the federal government shutdown remains in effect.
“I think people are hoping for the best, but they were definitely preparing for the worst,” Mrs. Consolmagno said Monday. “We saw a lot of people that we don’t normally see. It was very busy, a lot of new faces.”
Mrs. Consolmagno said many newer clients rely on the pantry because they are ineligible for SNAP benefits and other clients with SNAP benefits still need more help to feed their families.
Mrs. Consolmagno pointed out that SNAP benefits should resume once the government shutdown is resolved, but until then people could go hungry.
“Father Jonathan may have people knocking on the door asking for food on a daily basis,” she said.
On Tuesday, Massachusetts was one of more than two dozen states that sued the Trump administration over its refusal to fund SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. The states asked a federal judge to force the administration to dip into a $5 billion contingency fund by Friday to pay for SNAP benefits in November. Approximately 42 million people rely on SNAP benefits.
“People are in panic mode,” Mrs. Consolmagno said. “They’re afraid their benefits are not going to come through and they’re looking at the fact that they’re not going to be able to go food shopping next week.”
Mrs. Consolmagno hopes the government won’t overlook the hungry.
“I’m hoping for the best,” Mrs. Consolmagno said. “They’re playing a game of chicken, both political parties.”
Bucky’s Food Pantry does not receive food from the Worcester County Food Bank so it has held such fundraisers as a Lincoln Street Reunion and golf tournaments in order to purchase food and it relies on donations as well. For several years, the pantry dropped off bags at homes and asked residents to fill them with food so that volunteers could pick them up the following week.
For the past two years, 4 Others Inc. in Holden has donated toiletries. Last Christmas, the pantry received an individual donation of $5,000.
Last June, Bucky’s Food Pantry began distributing food only one Monday each month instead of two because it was spending $400-$500 each month.
Mrs. Consolmagno has also felt the impact of the government shutdown in her job with the Worcester Community Action Council, a non-profit organization which helps those in need, including offering fuel assistance. WCAC is funded by the federal government. As special funds coordinator, she handles emergencies for the payment department.
Mrs. Consolmagno said, “we have a lot of elderly people that heat with oil and depend on us.”
She pointed out that oil companies won’t deliver unless they’re paid up front and due to the government shutdown WCAC has only enough funding for emergency deliveries. Mrs. Consolmagno said fortunately utilities cannot be shut off for low income people during the heating season from Nov. 15 until April 1.
Father John F. Madden, pastor at St. John Parish, fears that a stoppage of SNAP benefits would prompt many more people to seek food at St. John’s Food for the Poor.
“I’m sure not every single person who comes to the food pantry is on food stamps,” he said, “but it’s either that or nothing. The ones who aren’t on food stamps are in even worse shape. I’m afraid it’s going to be significant and we’re just gearing up and doing whatever we can do.”
Father Madden believes that current clients will need even more food without SNAP benefits, but he also thinks St. John’s Food for the Poor could see new clients.
“That’s the unknown of it that has us worried,” he said.
Each weekday, St. John’s Food for the Poor prepares 1,500 plates of food that range from a bagel to a chicken parm dinner. On Saturdays, 250-300 families visit the food pantry to pick up boxes of food.
“I can only imagine what it’s going to be like going forward,” Father Madden said. “We’re worried about what this (SNAP stoppage) might mean. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to pass, obviously.”
Halting SNAP benefits would hurt people most in need.
“This is bad,” Father Madden said, “but it’s a population that’s under served in regular times. That’s the reality of it. This is even more drastic. It’s very frustrating.”
Father Madden said a lot of the food that is distributed at the food pantry at no cost to clients is donated, but he said the pantry is prepared to purchase additional food on its own. Father Madden also hopes the pantry receives more donations if SNAP benefits are halted by the government shutdown.
St. John’s Food for the Poor does not receive food from the Worcester County Food Bank, but does receive some from Stop & Shop stores on Grafton Street and West Boylston Street as well as from Core-Mark of Whitinsville which supplies convenience stores.
Meghan McLeod, administrative director of programs for Catholic Charities Worcester County, said the organization has already seen an increase in clients picking up food at its food pantries in Worcester, Leominster, Milford and Southbridge.
The Worcester pantry serves about 150 people a day, Leominster 45-75 and the other two about 25. Ms. McLeod expects those numbers to increase if SNAP benefits are halted. Clients are allowed to receive food once each month.
“We’re just going to do what we’ve always done,” she said. “We’re going to make sure we spread the food around as much as we can and maybe reduce what we give out.”
The four pantries used to be open only two or three days a week, but they’ve been open every weekday since the start of the summer to accommodate the increased need for food.
Among the services that Catholic Charities provides is helping people apply for SNAP benefits.
“People seem really worried,” Ms. McLeod said, “and they’re reaching out to us to see if we have more information or insight to anything, but we really don’t.”
Ms. McLeod said a local music company and local bank will conduct food drives for Catholic Charities and that the organization has received a lot of checks in the mail.
The Worcester food pantry receives 8,000-11,000 pounds of food each week from the Worcester County Food Bank and additional food from local grocery stores. Leominster also gets food from the Worcester County Food Bank, Milford from Spoonfuls and Southbridge from Ocean State Job Lot.