March 26, 2025

Could Punxsutawney Phil, infamous ground hog, have a cousin residing in the pantry garden?!  Alas, a mesh collard cover blew off one of our raised beds where a groundhog enjoyed a tasty buffet. Our Garden Manager, Doug, always has a backup plan. Collards have been replanted and the cover secured. Some of you may wonder why the one collard left looks so healthy…we have a drip system in place.

On Saturday we welcomed 129 families representing 467 individuals and eight new families. The eight new families represent a total of 29 family members.  We continue to need volunteers who can help with Spanish registrations. Once a month would be very helpful!

 Volunteer Spotlight this week: Fred Yopps and Heather Neal. Fred serves on our Pantry Board as Second Vice-President and is a master in the coordination of all pantry statistics, assures sign-in procedures meet regulations, and summarizes each week's data. If you need an "AHA" moment, just take a second to review the information posted weekly on the pantry office door. Fred is always willing to assist in other pantry opportunities like recording daily temps, attending Manna Conferences, and preparing mass amounts of data for grants. Fred is also active at his church in Hendersonville. Heather brings lots of experience to our pantry as a retired educator.  Not only does she volunteer at the Pantry, she assists at a neighborhood school. She is a member of our grant committee and has written several grants before joining the committee. She submitted several grants to Thrivent and received funding to purchase food for the pantry. A picture is included of the grant for cereal. Heather also serves on a number of committees at Lutheran Church of the Nativity.

 On behalf of our Pantry Board, we express our heartfelt gratitude for your generous food and monetary donations to our pantry. Your donations will make a significant impact on the lives of those in our community who are struggling with food insecurity.

- Kathy Noyes, for the Executive Committee