April 5, 2023
A picture is worth a thousand words! Last Friday look who backed up to our unloading area at the Pantry! Jacob and Rose from MANNA Food Bank with their van literally filled with food from two area schools. TC Roberson High and Fernleaf Community Charter School's students participated in a food drive sponsored by MANNA Food Bank. Again, it confirms what collaboration with the community and especially our young people can accomplish to help in reducing food insecurity in our community. We just barely unloaded the 2,750.5 pounds of food when Koontz Intermediate School arrives with a large pickup truck packed with 985.5 pounds of baskets and tubs of food items. The generosity of the community warms our hearts. We immediately began filling our shelves with these donations to ensure a quick return to our neighbors with food challenges. Saturday morning we were able to distribute lots of the food items to our 134 families representing 463 individuals and seven new families.
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March 29, 2023
The Calvary Episcopal Church Food Pantry's primary mission, goal, focus is the distribution of food each Saturday morning to help alleviate food insecurity in our community. Since 2009 when the Pantry opened, we have stayed the course. However, along this journey, we have evolved into more than a food pantry. Thanks to agencies like MANNA, who have many "wrap around services,” offer assistance in providing healthier choices of food through the SWAP program as one example. The UNC School of Pharmacy interns provide blood pressure, blood glucose checks, and seasonal flu shots several months over the year. The Lion's Club of Mills River offers eye screening twice a year for our neighbors. Volunteers have available the 211 cards. Twice a month Chef Martha provides cooking demonstrations using food items that are available on Saturday mornings. Neighbors enjoy a sample of the prepared item and are offered a recipe. WLOS videos Chef Martha for the Carolina Kitchen segments in the Pantry and garden where she uses items... again that are available in the Pantry. Most recently Chef Martha is featured in the spring Ingles Table Magazine for her deviled eggs and Green Pea Soup.
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March 22, 2023
What an uplifting way to start your Saturday! This picture, shared by Debbie, after she parked on the campus early on Saturday morning to volunteer. Neighbors began arriving in the early hours and they too witnessed the dawn of a new day. Sue began distributing numbers around 6:00 to keep the traffic from backing up onto Old Airport Road. Tom and Dino help us by assisting with registration and shopping with our Spanish-speaking neighbors. Ludmilla speaks several Eastern European languages and helps our neighbors from these countries. This week we welcomed ten new neighbors and 122 households representing 430 individuals.
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March 15, 2023
What a "cool" week to be building a hoop house in the Lord's Acre of Fletcher. Moderate temps, a bit breezy, low humidity, and a group of energetic men equipped with tools in hand launched into this mammoth project. It's a bit like building a tunnel-dimensions must be exact. Levels, twine, and tools for inserting cyliners exactly 36 inches into the ground were placed strategically. The next day a frame was added and an "aha moment" could be heard echoing among the men. Our "neighbors" at the pantry will be receiving fresh produce grown in the garden and hoop house in the next few weeks. We will be able to offer significantly more produce thanks to this grant from the Community Foundation of Henderson County.
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March 8, 2023
You can be assured that there's never a dull moment at Cavalry Episcopal Church Food Pantry and The Lord's Acre of Fletcher, our Garden. Deliveries of food items are dropped off Monday in the foyer of the Pantry which by the way is open daily Monday through Friday from 9:00-4:00. Tuesday, a delivery of over 6,000 pounds of food was transported from MANNA to the Pantry, where our volunteers were ready, willing, and waiting to place it on the shelves. Wednesday morning, construction of our Hoophouse, awarded to us by a grant from the Community Foundation of Henderson County, began early in the morning. Drive by the garden, and view the structure from your car as it evolves. Friday, volunteers stocked the shelves, with locally purchased items. Saturday is distribution day from 8:00-11:00.
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March 1, 2023
The Community Foundation of Henderson County awarded the Calvary Episcopal Church Food Pantry $14,348.00 to construct a hoophouse to be placed strategically in the garden. This grant ultimately allows for a longer growing season in the garden providing fresh produce for our neighbors on Saturday mornings. What an exciting morning on Tuesday when a large truck southbound from Ohio delivered a massive amount of items to be assembled. Yes..."Some assembly required." Did you enjoy Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, or Legos as a child? Then you might enjoy this project on a bit larger scale.
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February 22, 2023
As we conclude Pantry-ary month, many thanks to those who stopped by to learn more about the Pantry and Garden. We were grateful to have you as a guest and hope you will join us as a volunteer at the Pantry or in the next few weeks at the garden. The youth of Fletcher United Methodist Church held a "Souper Bowl" food drive and the 427 food items they collected were delivered on Friday. A picture has been included for you to see how clever the youth were in their collection. They had three food collection tubs labeled Chiefs, Eagles, and Referees. Ironically, the Chiefs received the most food items.
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February 15, 2023
(Fanfare Music) It is with great pleasure that we announce that the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Henderson County awarded the Calvary Episcopal Church Food Pantry a grant of $14,348.00 to support a Hoop House for the Lord's Acre of Fletcher, our garden. Garden Master, Doug Kearney prepared a powerful PowerPoint that was presented to the Grant Committee. Highlights of PowerPoint is located at the end of newsletter.
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February 8, 2023
"Ta-Da"! It's Pantry-ary month. We would like to extend an invitation to tour our 5,000 square foot facility and The Lord's Acre of Fletcher, our garden so you can find out how donations are making life better for our neighbors with food insecurity. Every Friday at 9:00, volunteers stock the shelves with your donations, purchased food from Sav-Mor, Ingles, and Jand J Tomato CO. On Saturdays from 8-11, food is distributed through the MANNA neighbor shopping model. We would be honored to have you as a guest.
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February 1, 2023
No......It wasn't the Macy's Day Parade this past Saturday on the campus of Calvary Episcopal Church. Arriving a bit after 6 a.m., the cars were backed up to Old Airport Road and others were circling the lot. Thanks to "Early Bird Dan, number distributor," our neighbors received their numbers to shop, parked their cars, and enjoyed the sunrise. We welcomed 143 families representing 501 individuals. 15 new families came and received food for the first time with us. Fred reported that for the month of January 456 different households visited the pantry representing 1,563 individuals.
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January 25, 2022
On Tuesday morning, in rolled the MANNA delivery truck with 5,000 pounds of pasta, soup, beans, vegetables, tuna, peanut butter, tortillas, 20 banana boxes of condiments, and 20 boxes of frozen meat. Fortunately too, we also received 580 pounds of produce which included fresh green beans, zucchini, onions, and Fresh Express salad kits. Rob shared with us that we average distributing food to about 800 individuals in a two week span. That's close to 9,000 meals! Thank you volunteers who helped us with the unloading of the pallets of food from MANNA and placing it on our shelves.
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January 18, 2023
"Old Man Winter" joined us at the Calvary Episcopal Food Pantry last Saturday. Hardy volunteers equipped with hand-warmers, hot coffee, and cocoa, carefully stepped across the dusting of snow to open up the pantry. Seventy-four neighbors braved the elements to shop, converse, and sample Chef Martha's spaghetti squash. For a morning with the weather a bit dicey, our neighbors represented 242 individuals and we welcomed four new families.
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January 11, 2023
Happy New Year! Welcome, 2023! Our first food distribution for the new year! The Calvary Episcopal Church Food Pantry was filled with enthusiastic volunteers and 121 "neighbors" ready to shop for three and one-half days of groceries or eleven meals. The neighbors represented 432 individuals and we welcomed nine new families.
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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.
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December 28, 2022
Verse 2...."Deck the parking lot trailer with boxes of turkeys and sweet potatoes... "...Fa-la-la-la-la...Thanks to the men of Fletcher United Methodist Church who withstood the frigid temperatures to distribute our Christmas meal items to our neighbors. Our annual Christmas meal included a turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, broccoli, muffin mix, rolls, and butter.
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December 14, 2022
Deck the Halls with....oops...."Deck the loading dock with tables of toys"...Fa-la-la-la-la...Thanks to the handcrafted toys by the Apple Country Woodcrafters of Hendersonville, donations from individuals, and Wal-mart....our neighbors left with toys for the young ones. Bob and Kathy Armstrong, members of the ACW, stopped by on Saturday as toys were being distributed. Along with the wooden toys, there were also quilts, bears, and dolls that were sewn /quilted to accompany the toys. We are so appreciative of the time and talents of the crafters and sharing with our pantry.
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December 7, 2022
Was just about to leave the pantry early this afternoon, when Lois and her sister Liz, arrived with a load of yummy Carolina Crunch Lettuce donated by Bright Farms in Etowah . We were busy unpacking the boxes and placing the lettuce into the frig when there was the sound of clickity-clack of one of our buggies being pushed to a vehicle. Venturing out to offer a hand, I met a pleasant lady named Jennifer, who had a donation of items many of which were mentioned in our newsletter or website.
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November 30, 2022
"It's beginning to look like Christmas" as we were blessed with several new volunteers this past Saturday. The Bartlett family and Mitchell Bullard were a "gift" to us along with our other volunteers helping to distribute food to our neighbors. As our neighbors arrived, Chef Martha was busily preparing French toast for sampling.
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November 23, 2022
It's the "Nibble Before the Gobble"! Calvary Episcopal Church Food Pantry parking lot was filled with cars lining up in the wee hours of the morning. Our neighbors were eager to shop for food and pick up items for their Thanksgiving Dinner. Volunteers navigated through the parking lot carefully and positioned themselves at their stations to assist in the distribution. Much gratitude to our donors, area churches, and individuals who contributed funds or food items to ensure we were able to assist in helping to reduce food insecurity in our community. We served 177 households, representing 606 individuals, and welcomed 15 new neighbors.
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November 16, 2022
This past Saturday you would have thought we had tickets on sale for the Super Bowl. Many of our neighbors were in line on the campus before 6:00 a.m. It was another record-breaking day at the Center of Hope, as we welcomed 122 Households, representing 430 individuals, and 14 new clients. Ahhhh.... as neighbors entered the building, Chef Martha was busy toasting bread for our neighbors to sample topped with eggs or jelly, cinnamon, etc. all items from our pantry.
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