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Selectboard asks questions about Whiting Food Shelf request before approving annual grant list
Summary
Board discussed a $1,000 ballot article to support the Whiting Community Food Shelf and asked for details on how many Leicester residents are served and how the program operates; staff will invite Melissa O’Neil to the informational meeting or request documentation.
The board reviewed a ballot item proposing $1,000 to support the Whiting Community Food Shelf and asked for program-level details before confirming the town’s support. Members questioned how many Leicester residents use the service and whether the food shelf’s current accounting shows local participation levels.
Board members noted some packet language reporting weekly and annual service levels: "the Food Shelf serves 35 lives per week over 1,750 lives per year," a board member read from materials. Members asked staff to invite Melissa O’Neil (named by the packet) to the March informational meeting or to provide written backup showing how many Leicester households are served. The board discussed whether the honor-system distribution and walk-in model meet the town’s expectations for targeted support and agreed more detail would help voters decide on the ballot article.
Staff will attempt to contact O’Neil to supply attendance or service statistics and asked the petitioner to provide information showing how many Leicester households are assisted.
