To those who saw Bay Street Theater’s recent production of “The Subject Was Roses,” John Slattery, Talia Balsam, and Harry Slattery are celebrities. John Slattery, of course, is a veteran TV, film, and stage actor whose credits include “Mad Men” and “Veep,” while Ms. Balsam, his wife, has also appeared in “Mad Men,” “Homeland,” and numerous sitcoms and other productions. Harry Slattery, their son, is just starting out in his acting career.
But to Holly Wheaton, director of the Springs Food Pantry, they’re just “everyday folks who saw a need and wanted to help.”
“They came to us during the pandemic,” Ms. Wheaton said. “They saw the long lines of cars and wanted to help. So we put them to work.”
Ms. Balsam would show up every Tuesday to pack up the brown paper bags of food, while her husband and son would come on Wednesdays to direct traffic and carry the bags out to the clients waiting to receive the week’s provisions.
The Springs Food Pantry will honor John Slattery, Talia Balsam, and Harry Slattery at its E.A.T. in the Gardens benefit on Saturday at the Corbett Estate in Springs.
“They live in Springs and wanted to help the Springs community,” Ms. Wheaton said. This is “a way to acknowledge their contributions and say thank you.”
In an interview this week, John Slattery recalled driving out to their house in Springs, which they bought in 2012, on the eve of the pandemic shutdown in March 2020, with his wife and her mother. Broadway had just gone dark and Covid had the world in its grip. Schools had shut down, too, and so Harry Slattery soon pulled up in the driveway, too, having packed up his dorm at Wesleyan College.
“We were sitting around with nothing to do, and one of us got a text asking for a donation,” John Slattery said. “We thought if they need hands, we’re sitting around with nothing to do. They did need people, and we all got recruited. I did it for over a year.”
The Springs Food Pantry, he said, is “so clearly a great organization, and really well organized. . . . They knew exactly what they were doing, and you could see the benefit immediately. It was very clear how it was benefiting everybody. And it’s right there in our backyard, and that made a difference to us. It’s our community, too, and we love it. I’m proud to be associated with the pantry.”
“People associate these neighborhoods with a lot of money, and there is, but there is also a lot of poverty out there as well,” Mr. Slattery continued. “You can see pretty immediately what it’s doing for other people. I would say if you’re looking to do something good, something that gives you a sense of instant gratification if that’s what you’re looking for, the food pantry is a good place to look.”
At the height of Covid, the Springs Food Pantry saw a sharp increase of about 300 percent over its typical distribution. In August of 2020, the slowest month that year, 2,286 people needed and received help, The Star reported at the time.
According to Ms. Wheaton, the demand hasn’t dropped off that much. Right now, she said this week, the pantry is feeding between 285 and 300 families per week — families that she said average in size about five people per household. It ebbs and flows seasonally, but do the math — that’s a lot of hungry people.
Lately it’s not been Covid but rather economic inflation driving people to the Springs Presbyterian Church each week to pick up necessities. “Ninety percent of our people are working,” Ms. Wheaton said. “They are the working poor, holding down jobs.”
At the fund-raiser on Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. — where E.A.T. stands for Enjoy and Taste — guests can enjoy draft beer from Springs Brewery, wine from Wolffer Estate, and mocktails from Cocktails and Dreams. There will also be hors d’oeuvres from Silver Spoon Specialties.
Tickets cost $175 in advance or $200 the day of, with proceeds to benefit the food pantry’s ongoing work to feed those in need. The website for ticket sales and more information is springsfoodpantry.com.
Ms. Wheaton is looking forward to the festivities.
“I always love the money that comes in because that’s how we can fulfill our mission, but the awareness is important,” she said. “The pandemic has waned, but we’re still here. . . . It’s so important that people not forget about us.”
