A small room at the Council on Aging is lined with shelves on its two longest walls. They're loaded with boxes of macaroni and rice, canned peas and carrots, and bread, brownie, and jello mixes.

It's the busiest time of year for the council's food bank, said Outreach Coordinator Ellen Hull. Working only 18 hours a week, Hull is the go-to person for help filling out applications, connecting visitors with resources, and fielding questions from patrons' grown children looking to help out their parents.

"I do anything and everything that people need assistance with," she said. And in between, she sorts through food donations for the 43 seniors who are eligible fore help. About 30 of them come monthly to receive boxes of food, she said.

That doesn't include the additional 21 registered participants who receive deliveries from the Greater Boston Food Bank. Hull organizes those deliveries too.

"Everything has to be inspected and sorted by date. Soup is one of the biggest movers," said Hull. Her office is loaded with donations for the veteran housing on State Road. Another room is lined with the boxes from Boston. More bags of food from the VFW sit on the closet floor.

"It's not a huge place. That's why it's a constant battle," she said.

However, Hull is grateful for the donations. She receives regularly from the VFW, the police department, various businesses, and the elementary schools.

"We're just so thankful to the people in town, and the schools. The schools are setting a wonderful precedence and teaching the kids about giving," said Hull.

There are challenges involved with running a food bank though. Like any service, it can be abused, said Hull.

"It's not meant to feed the family. Our goal is to make sure the senior has food and that their basic needs are met for the month," said Hull. She said the donations help lower-income seniors stretch their dollar.

She added that despite taking year-round donations, the CoA cupboard will be bare by June and July when donations slow down.

This time of year, Hull will package about 30 holiday baskets for residents in need. Not all of them are on the monthly donation list. Due to lack of resources, seniors do need to meet financial criteria in order to receive food.

"I've gotten to know so many of them, and I know how appreciative they are," said Hull. "We don't stigmatize. We're just a helping hand."

Hull said an additional benefit of the CoA food bank is knowing that everything stays in town. Neighbors are helping neighbors, she said.

Anyone wishing to contribute can drop off non-perishable food items and household goods (such as toilet paper and paper towels) to the Council on Aging, located at 628 Dartmouth Street.