The Roser Food Pantry is starting 2026 with renewed momentum.
Despite hitting a rough patch in the fall, food pantry volunteer Doug Copeland and Roser Memorial Community Church financial administrator Matt Meehan recently told The Islander that an outpouring of community support over the holidays got the pantry back on its feet heading into the new year.
The volunteer-run food pantry is the only one of its kind on Anna Maria Island and is located across the street from the Roser Chapel, 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria.
The pantry is supported by All Island Denominations, a network of the island’s churches, and through private donations of food and money.
People who register with the pantry for benefits can receive a bag of nonperishable grocery goods per person every week, as well as receive Publix gift cards to purchase perishable goods.
However, Copeland told The Islander Dec. 23, that the pantry’s shelves were “basically bare” only 4-6 weeks earlier, when the federal government shutdown led to a spike in demand for help.
The shutdown began Oct. 1, 2025, and ran until Nov. 13, 2025, leaving recipients of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program without benefits for its duration. Many of those SNAP recipients sought help from other sources, including the Roser Food Pantry.
Copeland said the pantry had handed out 71 bags of groceries over a single week during the shutdown.
For comparison, he said the pantry handed out 71 bags over the whole of May 2025.
“It was a dramatic increase in people signing up for benefits and also people that hadn’t been coming all of a sudden were coming back,” Copeland said.
According to Copeland, demand remains high despite the end of the federal government shutdown in November.
“There are a lot of people who don’t have money and prices are not going down,” he said. “Times are tight.”
During the rough stretch, the pantry’s struggles were featured by Spectrum Bay News 9 and ABC 7 WWSB — coverage that Copeland and Meehan credited for helping to turn things around.
Copeland said that coverage led to a spike in donations that restocked the shelves, as well as a surge of volunteers serving the pantry.
“All of a sudden, things have turned around dramatically,” he said. “It’s been just a dramatic outpouring from the community.”
Meehan told The Islander Dec. 30 that the pantry rebounded resoundingly due to the community’s support. He said it was not only back to normal, it was also “better” than normal.
“They really responded,” Meehan said.
Part of the community’s support was a food drive organized by the city of Anna Maria.
Anna Maria Mayor Mark Short told The Islander Dec. 23 that the city has been collecting food donations in a box at city hall, 10005 Gulf Drive, and dropping them off at the pantry in an effort to support it.
“The whole intent was just to help out with the holidays because we know it’s hard times for a lot of people and we just wanted to do a little bit to help out,” he said.
Short said the drive would continue.
People also can contribute to the food pantry by donating in-person or online. In-person donations of money and nonperishable food products can be delivered to Roser’s church office 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays.
Online donations can be made via Roser’s website, roserchurch.com/food.
Meehan said the food pantry also asks tourists with food left in their pantry to donate it before they leave the area.
“There is always more need than we can serve, so if we have the money, we’ll find good people to spend it on,” Meehan said.
The food pantry is open 10 a.m.-noon Mondays and Wednesdays.
To register for benefits, identification must be presented to food pantry volunteers.