HILLTOWNS — In order to provide charity to the Hilltowns, a new food pantry needs a little bit of its own.

The Helderberg Family and Community Organization is looking for skilled volunteers to help them renovate the space at Knox & Thompson’s Lake Reformed Church from where the pantry will operate. 

HFCO President Maryellen Gillis told The Enterprise this week that lots of lay volunteers have helped the organization clear out the space to prepare for the renovation as designed by local architect Tom Burgess, and now there’s a need for volunteers with particular talents.

“The work that’s left now is pretty substantial,” Gillis said “We’re looking for people that might be able to share their carpentry and plumbing skills with us, and that they would be able to volunteer [those skills] because obviously we’re working on a shoestring budget.” 

The pantry, called Gathering Hope, is being established in partnership with the Knox church as well as the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. Gillis said that an increased need in the community has surpassed what the other two pantries in the area — Rock Road in Berne, and the Hilltowns Resource Center in Westerlo — are able to fill on their own. 

“It actually came out of a discussion with the Knox Reformed Church,” she said. “They have a building and a desire to help, and we sat down and talked about it and decided that it would be really beneficial for the community to have a food pantry that is supported by the Regional Food Bank.” 

In partnering with the food bank, HFCO will be able to order food much more cheaply than it would through a standard grocer, meaning that monetary donations to the pantry will go a lot further than food donations, though Gillis said both are appreciated. 

It also means that the Hilltown pantry has to conform to certain standards, such as ensuring that it’s nonpartisan and non-denominational, and limited, in this case, to residents of Knox, Berne, and Westerlo. 

Gillis said she expects the pantry will be “a little larger” than the others on the Hill, thanks to the space they have to work with and the scope of resources they hope to provide — “For instance, having a section where there might be some school supplies or some winter clothing,” she said — but much is still up in the air.

The pantry is expected to open sometime in the spring or early summer, but it hinges on how quickly the organization can renovate the space and accumulate resources. It has to be “up and running” for the food bank to come and inspect it and give the OK, Gillis said. 

“There’s a lot of support we’ve been getting,” she said. “People are very concerned about their neighbors.” 

Anyone looking to help can reach out to HFCO at connect@helderbergfco.com, Gillis at (518) 925-3227, or Knox & Thompson’s Lake Reformed Church at (518) 872-0432.