Volunteers of the Lake Placid Ecumenical Food Pantry pose outside the St. Agnes Catholic Church in Lake Placid Friday morning, March 27. From left are Sarina Nicola, Rev. John Yonkovig, Diane Collins, Barbara Dempsey and Linda Young. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

LAKE PLACID — Volunteers at the Lake Placid Ecumenical Food Pantry Friday, March 27 debuted a new curbside service for the families they help, easing the anxiety over social distancing during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“Because of the virus and all, we decided to come up here to the garage, so we’re able to service people yet be safe and keep them safe,” said food pantry Director Linda Young.

The food pantry is located in the basement of the St. Agnes Catholic Church on Hillcrest Avenue. But after Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued social distancing mandates, having families go into the confined space didn’t seem like a good option.

“People were really comfortable about coming today,” Young said. “They’re coming out because I’ve called everybody to tell them how we’re set up, and people were very conscientious about that and very grateful that I did.”

The food pantry is open from 9 a.m. to noon every Friday. On March 27, volunteers had given food and household items to 20 families within the first hour, and by the time noon came around, a total of 50 families had received their needed goods. That was up from 17 families the week before, a marked increase that got Young’s attention.

Sign at the Lake Placid Ecumenical Food Pantry (News photo — Andy Flynn)

“With the economy and the way things are going, we don’t know how many people we’re going to be getting from here on out,” she said.

Food and household items are either donated directly or through bins at the Hannaford and Price Chopper supermarkets in Lake Placid or they are purchased with donated funds.

Some items people can get at the food pantry include eggs, cereal, toilet paper, canned goods, fruit, soups, macaroni and cheese, macaroni and spaghetti sauce, diapers, feminine supplies, deodorant, shampoo and toothpaste.

“Right now the bags are packed up according to basic things, so that’s what we’re giving,” Young said. “But if you came along and said to me, ‘Well, Linda, I have a child and she’s 5,’ so I would try to go downstairs and get certain things. Maybe I’d have extra raisins or ice pops or whatever. … We try to fill the need of how we can serve.”

The food pantry helps families get through hard economic times and tries to give them enough supplies to stretch them until the next week.

“And if you have to call back, you call back,” Young said.

When people call Young about the food pantry, she is likely to ask what other needs families have, such as help paying for heating, electricity and rent. If she doesn’t know a resource that can help, she will try to find out.

For more information, call Young at 518-523-9620.