The Bread for Life Food Pantry, Inc. held a fifth anniversary celebration March 19 that included the official opening of an addition to its Gloucester C.H. facility.

 Bob Quinzel, the program’s executive director, said that 1,142 different households representing 4,558 people (including 1,552 children) came to the pantry, located on the grounds of the Church of St. Therese on Main Street, in 2013. Last year, the volunteer staff handed out more than 512,000 pounds of food.

The facility’s original pantry was 759 square feet, Quinzel said, and the new portion has added 448 square feet. The total of 1,207 square feet provides space for a large freezer, acquired after saving for four years, Quinzel said, and lots more space to store donated food as well as adequate space to distribute it.

Needy persons can come to the pantry once a week, Quinzel said, with a computerized system in place to track clients’ usage and make sure they don’t come for help more than ...