January 4, 2023

Around midnight on New Year's Eve as I listened to the words of that old familiar tune........"Should old acquaintances be forgot"....Absolutely Not!!!!! On behalf of the Executive Board of the Calvary Episcopal Church Food Pantry, we will never forget the many acts of kindness from individuals, generous donations, grants, and our volunteers throughout the year. Donations and grants arrived from Deerfield, Ingles, Bimbos Bakery, City Bakery, Tractor.Farm, Bright Farms, Flavor-First, Apple Country Woodworkers, Humane Society, Milco, Project Dignity, High Vista Community, Manual Woodworkers, Arden Woods Retirement Community, Rotary Clubs, Fletcher Methodist Church, Tabernacle of Praise, Bethany Methodist Church of Fairview, Lutheran Church of the Nativity, Calvary Episcopal Church, VERITAS, Walnut Cove Members Associations, Community Foundation of WNC, United Way, Food Lion Feeds Charitable Support, Henderson County Hunger Coalition, St. James Charities, Cathedral of All Souls, Dogwood Health Trust, Dogwood Impact Grant, Thrivent, and Carol L. King and Associates.

Our volunteers help us distribute food efficiently each week. Among our volunteer base are the students from Christ School, TC Roberson, North Buncombe, and Hendersonville High Schools. Chef Martha, UNCA Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Mills River Lions Club, Asheville Youth Ministries, St. Luke Gleaners, Sabbath Life Clergy Ministry, Blue Ridge Service Corps, area churches, and our language translators (Spanish and Eastern European).

Chef Martha prepared a yummy mac/cheese and ham recipe on Saturday for neighbors to sample. All items were available in the pantry. We welcomed 81 individuals, representing 270 individuals and four new families.

This week City Bakery donated bread. Other donated items were from Bright Farms, Bimbos, Wal-Mart, Flavor-First, and MilCo. Friday, our volunteers stocked the shelves with purchased items from MANNA, Sav-Mor, and Ingles. Shopping locally we purchased items from MANNA, Sav-Mor (canned goods, milk, and eggs).

Bringing in the New Year on Monday, January 2, a shout out to the seventeen volunteers who helped inventory the Pantry. Three words for you ...organized, efficient, and amazing describe the 47 minutes that it took to inventory items in the 5,000 square foot space. OK... full disclosure, freezers of meat had been calculated after the Pantry on Saturday. Kim Potthoff reports 10,161 pounds of food on hand, 144 pounds of pet food, and 585 pounds of non food items.

On behalf of the executive committee, thank you to our volunteers and our area churches, civic groups, local merchants, and families for all you do to feed our community helping to reduce food insecurity.

Kathy Noyes