Paddock's Loss Becomes Local Families' Gain

At an hour on Wednesday that was lunch hour at the Paddock at Devon just last week, Deb Ackerman and Colleen Sanford were packing up the contents of a huge walk-in refrigerator in the restaurant's newly-abandoned kitchen.

Ackerman and Sanford run the food pantry at the in Paoli. The fresh vegetables, eggs, butter, cream, cheese and bacon they were packing up Tuesday just after noon will be distributed to local families in need on Wednesday evening at the church.

The women got word of the food windfall from Philabundance, one of the region's biggest food pantries. Philabundance got a call from the broker handling the sale of the restaurant, which closed down for good Saturday after dinner.

The food pantry operates at the church on the first and third Thursday of each month from 9 a.m.- 1p.m. and on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

Sanford tells Patch the provisions are a godsend as demand for food assistance has skyrocketed. "The number of families coming to us for help has tripled in the past year."Sanford explained. "Our need for donations has exploded."

As the recession continues to hit Chester County hard, the food pantry has been working harder than ever to keep up with demands.