The president of the East Haven Food Pantry doesn't mince words when it comes to describing what the volunteer work Charles "Butch" Metzler does means to those in need.

"I'd be dead in the water without him," says Phyllis Laroche. "He'll do anything he can, to help anyone he can, in any way he can."

Laroche says Butch has been helping, working 20 to 30 hours a week, at the food pantry "for about five years." Butch's black pickup truck, filled with food, is a familiar site around the town of East Haven.

The East Haven Food Pantry was established by a group of volunteers at the Old Stone House Church in 1985. Every month it serves more than 1,000 individuals who receive 8,500 food items per month.

Butch is one of more than two dozen volunteers who shop, stock shelves, and distribute and deliver food to those in need. Almost all of the food comes from donations by residents of East Haven.

Butch says he started working at the food pantry when his friend Sal Mattei was operating it. Mattei passed away a few years back, but Butch continues volunteering.

"I can't imagine not helping-it just isn't in my nature," Butch says.

Laroche says the need has never been higher and she "thanks my lucky stars for people like Butch.

"Usually the month starts out slow for us, as people receive their assistance checks at the first of the month," she says. "But we've been very busy the first few days in October, so I can just imagine what the rest of the month is going to be like."

Helping out the food pantry is a good fit for Butch, who spent 42 years working at Stop & Shop, mostly in positions in which he was in charge of buying food at the best possible price for the supermarket chain.

The connections Butch made during those four-plus decades of work have helped him negotiate what he terms "some real good deals" for all kinds of food from grocery stores for the East Haven pantry.

"I know what a good buy is, so I work my contacts to make sure the food pantry is getting the best deal possible on food," Butch says, adding, "Food banks aren't getting the kind of corporate donations they used to get when the economy was doing better years ago, so I do really drive a hard bargain to get the best deals possible."

Helping out at the food pantry isn't the only community-minded activity in which Butch is involved. He spent much of the time when his son CJ was growing up as a star athlete in East Haven coaching youth football and baseball teams.

Butch's wife, Eileen, still works part-time at Ultra Optics.

Besides helping anyone in town who needs any kind of help, Butch's other passion is animals. His constant companion, Kitty Kat, sat right next to him during his interview with the Courier.

The East Haven Food Pantry is located at Christ and the Epiphany Church at 39 Park Place. It is open from 9 to 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Food and monetary donations are welcomed; call 203-467-4668 for information.