...yes, we do have an increase of new people coming and people returning.”

Tap-In President Pascale Lord

Some of the shelves are filled with boxes of cereal, bottles of juice and cans of soup. And some are quite bare. 

Inside the Tap-In food pantry at the Peck Center building, there is evidence of an ever-growing demand for food and household goods. 

Pascale Lord has seen it firsthand. 

The president of Tap-In, which is a non-profit organization that serves people in East Providence, Barrington, Warren and Bristol, said sky-rocketing food prices have resulted in more people visiting the nonprofit for groceries, toiletries, towels, blankets and other items. 

“The food bank does not have all the items they used to have. There is a shortage on some items,” Lord said, referring to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. “There are some issues with the food bank. That’s one point, and yes, we do have an increase of new people coming and people returning.”

Lord said Tap-In (it stands for Touch A Person In Need) has also changed its policy — the non-profit used to allow people to stop by the Peck Center building once a month to pick up food, household items and cleaning supplies, but now clients from across the East Bay are free stop by once every two weeks. 

“And the problem is, with the winter coming, the numbers are going to rise,” Lord said. “Everything is going to rise. The numbers are already higher.”

Tap-In volunteers said they have seen a marked increase in the number of people stopping by the non-profit on a regular basis, likely an issue that is exacerbated by inflation. That increased demand forces the all-volunteer group to work even harder to keep the shelves filled.

In addition, Tap-In has increased what it offers to people. In addition to non-perishable foods, they recently started giving out household cleaning supplies. Tap-In also installed large refrigerated units inside the food pantry — clients can now pick up frozen fish, chicken, pork and other meats.

Lord said Tap-In volunteers also work hard to provide different food products to ensure clients have a balanced diet. She said Tap-In will purchase olive oil for clients. “It’s very expensive,” she said. 

Pam Faulkner is one of the original co-founders of Tap-In. She helped form the nonprofit back in 1983, and she is still helping her neighbors today. Faulkner said Tap-In is always happy to receive donations.

“All year, people can donate money or food. Particularly the holidays we tend to get a lot. But all year long we’ll take food and money,” Faulkner said.

She listed other items needed at Tap-In: linens, sheets, towels, blankets, small appliances (such as toasters, toaster ovens, and microwaves), pots and pans, cleaning supplies, and toiletries. (People can check www.tapinri.org for a complete list of items the agency will accept and those they will not accept.)

Lord said people are welcome to stop by Tap-In headquarters in the Peck Center building Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, to drop off any donations. There is also a large donation box located inside the Barrington Shaw’s Supermarket.

Lord offered a gentle reminder to people who wish to donate — please make sure the food items are not expired.

“They just have to make sure that the expiration date is right. Because sometimes when we do a big food drive, people are cleaning their cupboards and giving everything old, and we can’t give that to clients,” she said. “That’s a big issue.”

Lord and the other Tap-In volunteers said 100 percent of the donations go to people in need.

“No one’s making any money here,” Lord said.