Town hears plea for food pantry debit card and considers dedicated trust fund

Welfare Director and Food Pantry Manager Frank Swirko told the Select Board the Chichester Community Cupboard routinely needs perishable and low-sugar, low-salt items for elderly clients that federal and state distributions do not supply. He said volunteers have been fronting “often $200+ per trip” and submitting receipts for reimbursement and that donated funds have been intermingled with the general fund, creating delays.

“What I really need… is to have that debit card where I can go to Sam’s Club, get what I need… submit the receipt to you folks,” Swirko said during the July 21 meeting. Board members agreed the current reimbursement system is not sustainable and flagged RSA 165 restrictions that govern handling of welfare funds. As an immediate step, the board asked staff to develop a short-term purchasing policy and evaluate debit-card feasibility before Town Meeting.

As a longer-term solution, the board directed drafting a warrant article to establish a Food Pantry Trust Fund to protect donated money and avoid delays or spending freezes tied to the general fund. The board also instructed an audit of records to identify where the pantry fund is tracked and how it is accessed.