FREMONT — A once-a-month mobile food pantry in Fremont is now serving more than 75 families, with organizers reporting steady growth as economic pressures drive more residents to seek assistance.

“We started off small and word got around,” said organizer Pam Wayne. “I have more new people this time again, with the way the economy is and everything, unfortunately.”

The pantry operates out of the Fremont Center Gathering Place on the second Thursday of each month, distributing food supplied by the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. A delivery van brings donated and surplus food, which volunteers unload, sort and distribute to residents.

Once the delivery was unloaded, volunteers unpacked the food and laid it out on tables for distribution. About 10 people were already there, waiting as the first items were set out.

Volunteers also deliver food to residents who cannot attend in person, covering a set service area.

“If they’re in the circle that we do, we can deliver to them,” Wayne said.

The need extends beyond Fremont. Organizers reported residents traveling from Long Eddy, Roscoe, Jeffersonville and other surrounding communities to access the pantry.

“This is the only thing that we have in Fremont,” Wayne said. “We don’t have a grocery store. The closest one [grocery] is Callicoon or Hancock.”

Sharon Ferber, who helps coordinate food distribution across the county, said demand remains consistent.

“There’s always a need for food in Sullivan County,” Ferber said.

Ferber described a broader network of support, including deliveries to shelters and coordination with other programs such as Cornell Cooperative Extension initiatives and community- based meal services.

As volunteers worked, tables quickly filled with a mix of shelf-stable and perishable items, including pasta, canned vegetables, peanut butter, fresh fruit, yogurt, eggs and frozen meats.

Organizers said high-cost staples remain among the most sought-after items.

“People go crazy for the eggs,” Wayne said earlier in the day.

Despite the growing demand, staffing remains a challenge.

“Not enough,” Wayne said when asked about volunteers. “Always looking for more people, but nobody seems to [want to do it].”

The work involves unloading deliveries, organizing food by category, checking in residents and managing distribution in rotating groups. Afterward, volunteers make deliveries and clean up the site, often working into the afternoon.

Wayne, who balances the effort with a full-time job, said she uses her day off each month to run the pantry.

“I get one day off of work… today is my day. I’m doing this stuff,” she said.

Food is distributed free of charge, though the pantry is limited in what it can accept from the public.

“It’s got to be non-perishable,” Wayne said of donations. “Unfortunately, I can’t take any cash.”