HELPING HERE

MIDDLETOWN, RI (MARCH 10, 2026) – Arleen Kaull and Chris Johnson have seen the increase in need.

That’s the driver behind the creation of the new Food Pantry at the Middletown Senior Center, to provide help to local residents who most benefit, they said. 

A Grand Opening ceremony is planned for Wednesday, April 1 at 11 am from 650 Green End Ave. to mark the most recent addition to the operation.

The new Food Pantry — open to Middletown seniors and Middletown Senior Center members only — will stock nonperishables, meats, frozen dinners and the like, all for free.

“We’ve been commenting on it quite a bit, how some people are really struggling these days and we thought the time had come for us to help even more directly,” the Senior Center Director Kaull said. “We talked about it with the (Senior Center) Board (of Directors) and they couldn’t have been more supportive and understood exactly what we’re trying to do. Everyone needs a little help sometimes and that’s what we’re here for.”

“The Middletown Rotary Club and the Salvation Army of Newport stepped up with donations and without their backing, this would have been a lot more difficult to accomplish,” said Johnson, Kaull’s second in command. “I can already see it now and this is going to do a lot of good in our community.”

The pantry is the latest offering at the Senior Center, which is constantly evolving and growing to match the needs of its patrons.

The super popular Senior Center Thrift Shop is located in part of the former Peckham School next door to the Senior Center proper. It’s not uncommon to see regulars browsing the jewelry, artwork, clothing and more for the latest deals.

Run entirely by volunteers, every dollar raised at the Thrift Shop is put back into the Senior Center to cover the cost of senior programing, experiences and events.

The low-cost lunches served daily in the main meeting room are an extremely popular offering, providing good meals at an extremely affordable price. 

Kaull and Johnson said there’s a lot more to the lunches than a low-cost meal. What’s equally important was the fact they give seniors a reason to get out, socialize and be part of a positive environment daily.

That’s not to mention the regular programing that draws good crowds, everything from dancing and exercise classes to gardening, wellness clinics, lectures and more.

“If you haven’t been here in awhile, I think people are kind of surprised at how busy we are all the time,” Kaull said. “We’ve become a lot more than just a place where people meet up over lunch. We’re trying to become even more of a hub in Middletown and I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished here.”

The Food Pantry itself will be located in the rooms in the closed Peckham School that used to house the offices of the former principal and vice principal.

The rooms are getting a top to down clean out and a fresh coat of paint before the Food Pantry is opened to the public. 

The Middletown Rotary Club was donating refrigeration and the Salvation Army of Newport was providing some food items.

Kaull and Johnson said they had no doubt the Food Pantry would be well used by the local senior population for several reasons. Among those included the discreet surroundings, the small market like atmosphere and plenty of on site parking.

They also noted the Food Pantry wasn’t intended to compete with similar existing operations, but augment them.

“This (pantry) is meant to work together and supplement the food pantries that are already in the area,” Kaull said. “With our Thrift Shop and other existing services, this helps complete the whole package of services we offer here at the Middletown Senior Center.”

“I know there’s a lot of interest and chatter about it,” Johnson added. “We work really hard here to make sure the needs of our population are met and we want to say ‘Thank you!’ to everyone who helped us achieve this dream. This is really what it’s all about, giving back to our seniors who’ve done so much for us.”

Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-Pantry

 About Middletown

The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.

Media Contact

Matt Sheley

Public Affairs Officer

401-842-6543

msheley@middletownri.gov