Staples has been very busy so far this year. From January 1st until 8/21 we fed 893 individuals and distributed 25,919 pounds of food. This does not include the Farm Workers’ food we take to Surry Medical Ministries or the Youth group we make bags for. Lately we have about two new families coming to our door each week.
We love that we can now offer fresh produce thanks to the new Industrial Refrigerator that Second Harvest donated to us. We recently had a visit from the USDA and she said the government has appropriated 1 billion dollars for TEFAP food which is the food we get. She said not to worry, we will have food. We passed our compliance audits with Second Harvest and USDA with no issues.
We need to start looking for donations for the Thanksgiving meal we give our clients. We do not get things like Stuffing Mix and Cranberry Sauce. We also gave them Jello to make a salad last year, and we always have canned mixed fruit on hand for that, but Jello is also needed. This month we got 15 cases of dehydrated Potatoes so I will set aside some of those for November. We usually give them a $25 gift card to Food Lion for their turkey or ham, so we do accept monetary donations. Last year I had two homeless men who said they cooked their turkey over an open fire and said it was the best meal they had in a long time. It is always good to see how thankful everyone is for what we give them.
That being said it is time for me to transition off the duties I am doing for the food pantry. I want to spend more time with my family in Buffalo and also do some traveling.
As much as I love this ministry, I just need some free time. It can be divided into three separate units. The Tuesday packing of bags. Distributing food on Thursday and then the Second Harvest reporting (keeping track of the numbers for the reports and food ordering).
We also have individuals do Store Rescue at Food Lion on Saturdays and Lowes foods on Tuesdays. Those volunteer positions are filled. I am happy to work with whoever is willing to take things over. Reach out if you have any questions.
Thanks
Pat Sanderson
