MACHIAS – A recent Washington County turkey drive netted more than 1,100 holiday turkeys for 10 area food pantries, and although that will be a major boost, most pantry volunteers say they are worried about later this winter.

“We are busy and our food is dwindling,” Helen Voss at the Machias Food Pantry said Wednesday. “We will try to spread out our stock between now and Christmas, but we are really worried about after the first of the year.”

Voss said that it is after the holiday food drives have passed and donations have slowed that the lines at the pantry get longer.

“When we started in 1987, we saw about 12 people a year,” she said. “Now we see 40 to 50 families every week. Work is so seasonal here. These people can’t survive in the winter.”

Voss said she received 131 turkeys from the second annual Turkeys for the Food Pantry fundraiser recently sponsored by St. Croix Valley Healthy Communities, WQDY radio and DownEast Healthy Tomorrows. More than 1,000 birds donated will be shared by food pantries in Calais, Eastport, Baileyville, Machias, Lubec, Topsfield, Perry, Whiting, Milbridge, Jonesboro and Gouldsboro.

The need is also outstripping resources at the Cherryfield food pantry, operated by the Maine Seacoast Missionary and managed by Gena Norgaard.

Norgaard also received turkeys through the fundraiser but said “donations are not up generally. I’m surprised there have been no area food drives as in past years.”

The Cherryfield pantry serves residents all the way to Milbridge. “We deal with about 120 families a month and that number always goes up in the winter,” Norgaard said. “We are finding that on our shelves, the basics are really limited. For the first time in 15 years, I’m having to buy items.”

Linda Nelson, a volunteer at the Jonesport Food Pantry, said the 75 turkeys she received will certainly help.

“The money we would have had to spend on turkeys, we can now spend to fill holiday boxes,” she said. “We are serving 50 to 60 families a month.”

Nelson said that once the holidays are past, the number of families in need will increase. “Of course, the lobstermen don’t work in the winter and the high cost of heating fuel is taking its toll. We see our numbers of families go up each year.”

All of the pantry managers said they will accept donations of nonperishable items and cash and encouraged giving to continue after the holidays.

The Jonesport pantry is located at the Sawyer Memorial Church at Sawyer Square and can be reached at 497-5782.

The Cherryfield pantry, at 546-7424, is on U.S. Route 1, and the Machias pantry is located in the Centre Street Congregational Church, at 255-6665.

To reach a pantry in other areas, contact the local town office.