BAR HARBOR — The Bar Harbor Food Pantry recently received $10,000 from the Witham Family Hotel Charitable Fund, a major boost to their busiest season.

“We feel lucky to have financially generous donors like the Witham Family” said food pantry director Jenny Jones.

The pantry is serving roughly 400 households within Hancock County, many of whom are using the pantry more often than they have in the past.

“We are seeing 40-50 households each open day, even during the summer which wasn’t the case last year,” said Jones.

With the increase of use, the pressure on affording healthy food is taking a strain. “We are over budget in food purchases, but it’s our job to keep going forward and to ensure everyone has equal access to healthy food options,” says Jones.

The mission of the food pantry aligns with the mission of the fund, Witham Family representatives said, in that it supports organizations focused on community health, housing and shelter, food and nourishment.

“We think it is incredibly important to help those facing hunger in this community, [so] it was a natural fit to support the pantry,” Chris Witham said. “We hope others in our community will reach out and help, as the need is overwhelmingly great at this time.”

Visit barharborfoodpantry.org. For more information on the Witham Family Hotels Charitable Fund visit www.wfhcharitablefund.com.