By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

The annual “Don’t Duck Hunger” duck race — which takes place Sept. 10 — is the Bridgeport Food Pantry’s single largest fundraiser, but the food pantry will need extra help this year. While the duck race usually raises between $20,000 and $25,000, this year the food pantry is facing a $60,000 deficit.

“We probably get eight to 10 new families every month,” said Food Pantry Director Patti Hedrick. “That doesn’t mean we get any new funds.”

Hedrick said it’s a common misconception that the bulk of the Bridgeport Food Pantry’s distributions are donations: in fact, the pantry purchases most of its food at a discount from the Food Bank of Central New York. In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, the food pantry spent $76,000 to serve more than 100,000 meals in the towns of Cicero, Manlius and Sullivan. Hedrick said the total cost for the 2016-17 fiscal year will easily be as much, if not more.

“A lot of people in the community come to the food pantry,” she said. “Most of them work, but they work minimum wage jobs. They used to work at Carrier Corporation, New Process Gear and General Motors. They employed a lot of people in this community, and then they closed.”

With downturns in the economy and an aging population, the number of families helped by the Bridgeport Food Pantry has ballooned over the last two decades. Each month, the food pantry serves roughly 128 families.

“They cannot support their families. They still have the same mortgage payments as when they were making good money,” Hedrick said.

The Bridgeport Food Pantry delivers meals to about 30 disabled people, and many of the pantry’s patrons are elderly.

“For some people, it’s the difference between if they eat or they don’t, especially our elderly/disabled [clients],” Hedrick said. “There’s not a grocery store in Bridgeport. They have a hard time getting groceries unless someone volunteers to go into Cicero.”

Demand for the food pantry rises in the summer when children are home from school.

“When summer vacation comes, we try to get more into the food pantry that kids like: more peanut butter, more jelly, more bologna and cheese,” Hedrick said.

The food pantry’s volunteer base is aging out, too. Hedrick said she has volunteers from the Bridgeport VFW Post 8440 who are in their 80s, and, while she’s grateful for their help, they won’t be able to volunteer forever.

“We can’t seem to get any young blood,” Hedrick said. “Getting volunteers is a tough thing to do, but I’m grateful to anyone that makes donations.”

At the Aug. 24 Cicero Town Board meeting, Town Supervisor Mark Venesky made a plea to residents to help out the Bridgeport Food Pantry by purchasing tickets for the duck race. He said he and his wife, MaryEllen, plan to make a donation.

“We need some help: I’m asking all of you to please come to the duck race and buy tickets,” Venesky said. “They’re people that live in our town and they’re hurting.”

“We can’t do it by ourselves,” Hedrick said.

It costs $5 to “adopt” a duck for the race. Prizes will be awarded to the owners of the top finishing ducks: $1,000 is the grand prize, $500 goes to second place and $250 goes to third and fourth place.

The eighth annual “Don’t Duck Hunger” duck race takes place at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at Chittenango Creek behind St. Francis of Assisi Parish Center in Bridgeport.

Pre-race activities — including a $1 pizza taste-off, face painting, pony rides and more — begin at 2 p.m.

To donate or volunteer for the Bridgeport Food Pantry, call Patti Hedrick at 699-7976.