Help Yourself Shelf Food Pantry (HYS) at St. Philip’s Church, 12 Hodge St. in Wiscasset will be holding its winter holiday distribution on Thursday, Dec. 15, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thanks to donations by local groups and people, HYS will be offering items for the dinner’s side dishes, combined with gift certificates for the meal’s main dish, as well as cake or pie options, and finally, a nice bottle of sparkling cider provided by Midcoast Hunger Prevention Project.

People who are not registered with the Pantry are welcome. The procedure will be much the same as it was for Thanksgiving: Holiday bags will be disbursed in the parking area separate from the Shelf’s standard operation. Upon arrival at St. Philip’s, sign in in the parking lot with the registrar who will share directions as to when and how to proceed.

As Dec. 15 is also a regular pantry distribution time, people can also sign in for a turn to receive a basic weekly food box and to select items: breads, sweets, produce, proteins, packaged items, personal care products, dish and laundry soaps, animal food, eggs and dairy and “Take Table” items as available.

While the holiday bag distribution is Dec. 15, HYS will still be open on Thursday, Dec. 22, from 3:30 to 5:30, as usual. The early distribution allows for time to plan and prepare.

With the advent of winter, it is time to review HYS inclement weather policy: If Wiscasset schools are cancelled on Thursday, there is no Food Pantry that day.  If schools are open Friday, Pantry will be held that day during the usual hours. However, if schools are cancelled on Friday as well, there will be no Pantry that week. Cancellations will be posted on our Facebook Page, or tune into the three major network channels (Channels 6,  8, and 13)  for cancellation listings.

In case of food emergency, call St. Philip’s at 882-7184, and leave a message with a return number, or message the Pantry through its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HelpYourselfShelfFoodPantry, or website, https://helpyourselfshelf.wordpress.com/