Kevin Dugan

That generosity is expected to persist in the face of this year's economic pinch said Kevin Dugan, head of the Nantucket Food Pantry in the Parish House of St. Paul's Church.

"The people of Nantucket are very generous and very community-minded," said Dugan. "We receive a lot of donations. The best kind that we get is either monetary or one of those Stop & Shop gift cards in any denomination."

Dugan said the food pantry served about 1,500 people last year. He expects that number to increase this year based on the 348 people who have already frequented the Food Pantry since the first fiscal quarter began on Oct. 1. Hunger and neediness afflict many sectors of Nantucket life and all are welcome to seek help, said Dugan.

"You see all walks of life," he said.
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Getting food is made as simple as possible, said Dugan, since most Nantucketers don't want to ask for help.

"When a person is in crisis, the last thing they want to do is sit a long time at a desk and go through their life story when they need it today," said Dugan.

Kevin Dugan believes in "keeping it simple" when running the island's Emergency Food Pantry, which last year helped more than 1,500 people make ends meet by providing them with nutritious food during tough times.

Photo by Bevin Bixby

Kevin Dugan, director of the Nantucket Emergency Food Pantry, mans the counter Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon, greeting every customer with a smile and helpful assistance.

Dugan doesn't rely much on technology, and there is little paperwork involved.
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The only luxury equipment in the place is the phone," said Dugan of the food pantry's home, a cramped 10-by-12-foot room in the basement of St. Paul's Parish House on Fair Street.
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This year around the holidays, Dugan also expects to give away 40 to 50 certificates that can be redeemed for turkeys at the Stop & Shop.
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"I've got fog stories from the airport and wind stories from the Steamship Authority," Dugan said of his work in island transportation.

Dugan's been volunteering at the food pantry for 15 years and his friendly nature and goodwill are contagious.

"I try to make them feel good about coming in here.I try to make it pleasant and to keep the place immaculate, with all the labels turned out as if we were in a store," said Dugan.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are the busiest times of the year for the Food Pantry, which is open Tuesdays and Thursdays (except Thanksgiving) 52 weeks a year from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Visitors, and many islanders, are often surprised that there's a need for the Food Pantry in a community like Nantucket.On an island known around the world as an idyllic vacation spot for the super-rich, it's sometimes hard for people to believe that some islanders need a little help getting from paycheck to paycheck.But they exist, and their numbers have been slowly climbing in recent years as the cost of living , particularly housing , continues to rise, said Dugan.

"We are seeing younger, working families," Dugan said of the 15 to 22 people who regularly use the Food Pantry each week."There are a lot of single mothers.Single fathers, too.Even if you have two children, a mother and a father, both working, paying a rent of $1,500 to $1,800 a month, this is a drop in the bucket.It's a struggle to make ends meet."

"When we first started the food pantry 16 or 17 years ago, there were people who thought that everyone who lives here is a millionaire," added Dugan.
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"Every dollar we get, we spend on food," said Dugan."We are very blessed here with donations," said Dugan."It's very rare , and I come down here every single day , that there are not donated bags of groceries.People look out for one another on this island."

It works so simply because we keep it simple," said Dugan.

Kevin Dugan
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A short interview with Kevin Dugan, the Food Pantry Director, is all that is needed and a grocery shopping list is prepared.

A short interview with Kevin Dugan, the Food Pantry Director, is all that is needed and a grocery shopping list is prepared.

Kevin Dugan, Terminal Manager, Nantucket, ext. 259