Another "Egg-cellent” day at the Pantry! "No YOLK" For the past three weeks we have received enough eggs from Manna to distribute at least two dozen eggs to each family. What a treat! Thank you, MANNA!!! Not to be out done, our Garden is producing rows of "LOVE!" That is...mini-love watermelons! This past Thursday night, the tomatoes that were planted along the garden rows were harvested and left over stalks were taken to the compost pile.
Read MoreJust as you, "Faithful Volunteers,” answered the call last week for the many opportunities to volunteer, Father J., our Rector, has accepted the call to become the next Rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Loveland, Colorado.
We appreciate Father J's dedication to the Pantry and Garden and the many ways he's touched our lives. His wisdom and guidance has "shepherded" us through many successes and challenges. Our many successes are reflected through our volunteer support, grants for food, and capital projects like hoop houses and cold storage.
Read MoreSurprises are welcome and appreciated! Our pantry was filled with surprises this week! It began on Monday with an enthusiastic group of youth from Minnesota who volunteered in the garden, toured the pantry, and helped stock the shelves in the pantry. What a delightful energetic group! The next surprise was a donation of cases of Chicken and Dumpling Soup from Arden Woods that practically filled one of our large racks. Thank you, Carol, for transporting the soup and to Arden Woods for such a tasty donation.
Read MoreSome of you may remember the children's nursery rhyme, "Rain, Rain, Go Away....." We have been blessed by an abundance of rain and warm (hot) days resulting in a bumper crop of produce…and weeds! So…Weeds, Weeds, Go Away! Come Again Another Day!! Come help us "gather" weeds on Thursday nights at 6:30. Just last Thursday night 237 pounds of produce was harvested from our garden. Our "neighbors" were thrilled to receive a variety of fresh veggies.
Read MoreHooray for the Red, White, and Blue! Three days of volunteers were needed for Mini-Manna Delivery, Stocking Shelves, and Food Distribution. All three days were covered this week! What a great community of volunteers we have ensuring we can continue to help feed our neighbors each week.
Read MoreIf you were near the pantry garden this week, you may have noticed WLOS was videotaping Chef Martha for a segment on Carolina Kitchen. Her honey cumin sautéed carrots were mouthwatering, along with the tasty watermelon, cucumber, and feta cheese salad. Bill, the photographer, captured bees flying into our hives, the new hoop house, and our garden beds filled and ready to harvest of organic produce!
Read MoreWhat a blessing it was for the Calvary Episcopal Church Food Pantry to be the recipient of the "Love Erin" outreach program on Saturday. Christie Pickel, the mother, shared the family's mission- "Love Erin" is to continue to share Erin's love and light to those in need. Twelve members of Erin's family gathered to donate needed items (a wagon filled with ramen noodles and canned fruit), shop with the pantry neighbors, and assist with carry out.... filling 106 shopping carts with food and supplies.
Read MoreThe highlight of our week was the service of Thanksgiving and Blessing at the Lord‘s Acre and Tierra Fertil. Father J. led the procession to the Lord‘s Acre of Fletcher, our garden. The Church Yard, Compost Area, the Lord’s Acre, Tierra Fertil, and our Dinner were all part of the blessing. Many thanks to those who helped build the hoop house and prepare for the special event..
Read MoreIt was another busy Saturday morning at the pantry. On June 7th we served 133 households comprised of 496 individuals. We welcomed eleven new households and 29 new individuals. The pantry garden produced 200 pounds of freshly harvested collard greens to supplement our produce distribution. We were also able to offer several other types of donated produce. Fresh produce is actively embraced by many of our visiting neighbors.
Read MoreLots of ladders, a lift, and volunteer lads (oops, men) safely put some of the final touches on the Hoop House this week. That would mean the cover! A gentle breeze helped as the volunteers attached the cover. It truly has been a labor of love as the volunteers arrived early each morning full of energy and one could sense the camaraderie among them. You will not be disappointed on Wednesday at the Blessing of the Hoop House and Garden.
Read MoreAdvent Health's Gardens of Hope Program goal is “A hands on practical short course for cancer survivors.” Plus, it includes how to grow your own produce in your home garden while volunteering at a functioning garden that supplies produce for the food insecure population in our community.
Read More"Watching the Magic Happen!" was the topic for the Advent Health Gardens of Hope Program on Tuesday night. Doug Kearney explained how to succeed at planting seeds in the soil, buying transplants from the store, or starting your own. Was there an "AHA" moment or two...Absolutely! Just two weeks ago volunteers "thinned" the carrots and covered the tender sprouts with garden netting. The carrots caused quite a stir as you can tell from the picture at the end of the newsletter. They also harvested the last of the beets.
Read MoreSave the Date! Our Second Hoop House & Garden Blessing will be held on June 11, 2025. More information and sign up to follow.
Never a dull moment at the Pantry! Last Saturday several Christ School students assisted us in helping to make our inventory area more efficient. Items were shifted about, like the diapers, etc., to make food items more assessable for restocking on busy distribution days.
Read MoreThe annual Rummage and Plant Sale was held this past Saturday. The Parish Hall was filled to the brim, the porch was bursting with plants donated from Van Wingerden International and parishioners, and the parking lot was over flowing with enthusiastic shoppers. Attendees left with bags filled with many treasures. On behalf of the Pantry Board, many thanks for the assistance of so many volunteers throughout the week and on Saturday. St. James Episcopal Church's Thrift Store collected all remaining items at the end of the day. Linda Wozniak and her team of volunteers are to be commended for a job well done. Thank you one and all!!
Read MoreNews from The Lord's Acre of Fletcher, the Thursday after Easter begins here...On Thursday night a passionate group of garden volunteers were directed by our Garden Manager, Doug Kearney, to plant tomatoes in the hoophouse. He had prepared a poster with the steps to follow. Basically, you dug a 6" hole and a shallow trench from the hole. The tomatoes roots were placed on its side and then you covered the stem with soil up to the leaves of this 12" plant. Doug assured us that the plant would be vertical by the next morning.
Read MoreWhat a glorious Saturday morning at the pantry! It was all hands on deck as we held our regular food shopping opportunity and a tasty Easter meal. Neighbors were offered a ham, potatoes, bok choy, broccoli, rolls, and butter. An extra thank you to our carry out volunteers who helped distribute the extra meal and pushed shopping carts to cars. As you can see in the above picture many neighbors arrived before 7:00 in anticipation of the extra meal.
Read MoreOn Saturday, we were so fortunate to host the UNC ESHELMAN SCHOOL OF PHARMACY interns from UNCA for glucose and blood pressure screening. Our neighbors and volunteers were offered this opportunity at no charge. This week, NC MedAssist, the only statewide, non-profit free pharmacy in North Carolina offered over-the-counter medications to our neighbors at no cost. Tylenol and Tums were a couple of items that were offered.
Read MoreIt's always comforting when the Christ School van drives onto our campus filled with students ready to spend the morning with us. They are always ready, willing, and waiting to undertake any task that is needed. Several students are bilingual and they assist with registering new neighbors, others enjoy shopping with our neighbors, while many like the carryout role. Often, they may work in pairs sorting huge cases of mixed items and repackage them for distribution. A "Shout Out" to Christ School!!!
Read MoreWe definitely put the "G" in "Gathering" as in our Gathering Room this week. Last Saturday our neighbors "gathered" around the display table to learn ways to "Savor the Flavor of Eating Right!" Linda W., a nutritionist, included handouts on the importance of hydrating, eating colorful vegetables, and exercising daily. We have a few handouts left if you missed the display. Our neighbors also gathered around the TV to learn about a new program called the Towel Ministry. This ministry offers assistance to our neighbors affected by the Helene Hurricane and who may have some repairs needed for their homes or debris removed.
Read MoreCould 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.
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