Juanita Boutin has been recognized as the Oxford Pantry’s Volunteer of the Year for her dedicated service to the organization.

Boutin, an Oxford resident for 18 years, has volunteered at The Pantry for nearly a decade along with her husband, Gary. She started off assisting with intake screenings for individuals seeking food assistance and about a year or so ago, she took up managing The Pantry’s Facebook page and capturing photos of its operations.

Despite her contributions, she remains humble about her role.

“I am a minuscule cog in this machine,” she said. “I do pictures on Facebook. I’m available if somebody needs to talk. I do the screenings. I’m nice to the people – and so is everybody else around here.”

The Oxford Pantry serves approximately 700 families each month, distributing groceries on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Boutin encourages others to consider volunteering at the Pantry.

“People could volunteer anytime they’re free. They don’t have to be a member of a church or a member of anything,” she said. “There’s screening, packing food in bags, distributing flyers and posters—there are tons of ways to help.”

Beyond her work with The Pantry, Boutin is also involved with 9 Lives Pet Rescue and has previously volunteered with the Salvation Army.

She said her work at The Pantry is important to her because it provides direct assistance to those in need.

“This is a stupendously honest organization,” she said. “Nobody gets paid. Everybody does it because they love it; because they want to be here; and because they see a need—even though we know it’s never enough.”

Those interested in volunteering should contact The Pantry at 662-832-8001 or Stronger Together Oxford at 662-232-2773.