Twice a month, there’s quite a bit of activity at the American Primitive Methodist Church in Tamaqua.

These are the days that the small church on Hunter Street distributes items from its food pantry.

Folks stop by in cars to receive heavy boxes full of fresh meats and produce, while others walk to the church up to two hours in advance to secure their place in line.

“It certainly is busy,” said the Rev. Richard “Rick” Clemson, the church’s pastor.

In fact, the pantry distributed 166,811 pounds of food worth $261,811 from the Helping Harvest Food Bank over a recent 12-month period.

The figures are from the food bank alone - and don’t include items donated by the community, local farmers and area supermarkets that the pantry uses to supplement the boxes.

The pantry, which was established in 2014, is held on the second and third Wednesdays of each month, and serves about 200 individuals.

It’s a number that’s growing, and a number that started to rise around the time the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Clemson said.

“We had been at 170 for a few months, and then in September, we started to see a few more people coming,” he said.

Folks receive quite a bit of everything - from fresh produce and meats to canned goods and frozen goodies.

“What happens is the food bank in Reading - Helping Harvest - sends us a list of food that is available and then we get to choose,” Clemson said.

Other donations are provided by local farmers, churches and places like the Walmart in Hometown.

Plus, the pantry receives a helping hand from the Tamaqua Hunger Campaign, sponsored by the Tamaqua Area Faith Fellowship and the Tamaqua Area Partnership.

This year, the campaign raised $16,000 and collected 83 boxes of food, which were turned over to American Primitive Methodist, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church’s People’s Pantry; Stokes Ministry’s Community Food Pantry, and the Friends in Need Pantry at Trinity United Church of Christ, all in Tamaqua.

For its distributions, American Primitive Methodist relies on the help of 15-20 volunteers.

“We have volunteers that go and pick up the food, like at Walmart,” Clemson said. “We have volunteers who come the day before and start to prepare the boxes in the Sunday school room. And then we have volunteers on the day of the pantry that unload the truck that comes, and also we have volunteers that carry food out to the cars. That way we can keep things moving a little quicker.”

Clemson said the pantry wouldn’t be possible without help from volunteers, Helping Harvest and other donors.

Helping Harvest, which serves Berks and Schuylkill counties, distributed more than 8.2 million pounds of food to more than 300 food program partners in 2021.

“When you think about it, without this organization and the fact that they make the food available, we certainly as a small church wouldn’t be able to do what we are doing,” Clemson said.

And pantry volunteers aren’t just members of American Primitive Methodist, he said.

“One of the things that impresses me the most is how the community has come together to fight hunger,” he said. “The volunteers are not only from my church, but other churches in town, and some aren’t churchgoers. It’s amazing how we get walk-ups - people say, ‘Hey. I have some time. I can unload the truck?’ It’s a community effort and we really appreciate the help.”