Cars are lined up in the Fredonia Presbyterian Church parking at the food pantry on a recent Saturday.

It once again took a village — and then some.

Officials from the Fredonia Presbyterian Church are expressing their appreciation to the community regarding the recent Feeding Fredonia Challenge, which is used to restock the shelves of Chautauqua County Rural Ministry reserves for the Fredonia Food Pantry.

“If anything was to be collected this year, it had to be done virtually,” organizers said. “A real challenge! This did not stop Fredonia from rising to the occasion.”

Individuals and families trekked to the Food Pantry, located at the church on Central Avenue, to leave food or monetary donations. Businesses and offices collected food from customers and employees or sent in monetary donations.

Parishioners and youth groups from area churches delivered boxes and bags of food to Fredonia Presbyterian Church, where the Food Pantry is held the third Saturday of every month. Wheelock and Fredonia Elementary School were not to be outdone as students and staff collected food and money to support the community food drive.

“The results were outstanding. Besides the many monetary donations, the virtual food drive netted over a ton and a half of food — 3,503 pounds to be exact!” organizers reported.

Each month since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fredonia’s food pantry has seen an increase in customers. Stocking the shelves of the food pantry means a growing number of clients can be served.

“The motto of this year’s Challenge was ‘Everything Helps.’ No matter if someone came with boxes and bags of food or with two cans of food,” the organizers said. “No matter if someone donated $50 or $5. Everything helped make this year’s food drive a success.

“On behalf of the Fredonia Food Pantry everyone who contributed to the success of this year’s Feeding Fredonia Challenge needs to be thanked. Together we have made a difference in our community by trying to care for our neighbors.”