Time to Roll up your Sleeve! The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy interns will be at Food Pantry on Saturday, October 11, 2025 performing blood sugar and blood pressure screenings. We were notified that there may be flu vaccines available to our "neighbors" and volunteers.
Read MorePharmacy students from the Eshelman School of Pharmacy campus in Chapel Hill volunteered this past Saturday to offer Blood Pressure and Blood Glucose screenings. Both screenings are available to all our pantry "neighbors" and volunteers. We are so appreciative for the mornings they are able to spend with us. "Roll Up Your Sleeve!" They will offer flu shots on October 15 and 18 at the pantry.
Read More"Whew!" A word used in the word game "Wordle.” This past week at the pantry was a "whew" week for us. Soooo many outreach activities and the culmination of our incredible week on Saturday was the distribution of food to 129 "neighbors!" This week was a huge success because of YOU, our volunteers!
Read MoreOn Your Mark! Get Set! GO! Doug, Dick, Jack, Kim, and Tom labored for hours extending a one-inch water line down the length of the garden and installing 2 high quality hose reels. Could you help with the watering a half-hour a week? Our collards, beets, sprouting broccoli, carrots and lettuce get extremely thirsty on these warm days!
Read MoreThis Saturday, we are so fortunate to host the UNC ESHELMAN SCHOOL OF PHARMACY interns from UNC-A for glucose and blood pressure screenings. They will be located in an office in the gathering Room. Jack Grant, from the Lion's Club, will offer vision screening in the trailer located in the pantry parking lot. Our neighbors and volunteers are offered both of these opportunities at no charge.
Read MoreWow! What an incredible Saturday! Had to keep reminding myself that we weren't at the Ingles Cafe/Deli! As neighbors arrived in the gathering room, they were welcomed by the aroma of French Toast cooking on the griddle. Chef Martha was busily whisking the eggs and milk together, plating the French Toast, adding a bit of syrup and offering it to our neighbors. See the relationship Ingles Deli...they distribute food. Pantry- Chef Martha French Toast...we distribute food. The icing on the cake was when Rita arrived with chicken and dumplings, beans, and cornbread for the volunteers.
Read MoreTiming is everything. Last week we welcomed a room full of neighbors from the community. Thanks to the St. Andrew Gleaners who donated baskets of apples and peaches, we had quite a bit of fruit to distribute. This week they gleaned lots of russet potatoes. St. James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville donated over 223 pounds of food from their congregation. They also included a monetary donation which we used to purchase milk. Many thanks to the volunteers who stayed until every family was served!
Read MoreYou may remember the hit song by the Beatles, "All You Need is Love!" Well, our pantry was certainly filled with LOVE.....that is tasty Mini-LOVE Watermelons last Saturday. Our "Neighbors" were offered one of these organically grown watermelons from our garden. We are expecting another watermelon harvesting soon. Hope you can join us on Thursday night at 6:30 in the garden where we'll be planting our fall collards.
Read MoreAre you old enough to remember lemonade for sale on tables you may have had on your front lawn or driveway? Thanks to the Crowfield Neighborhood Association, they donated lemonade and ice cream for our neighbors and volunteers. We set up a stand right in the middle of the pantry. Sometimes you just need comfort food.
Read MoreAnother "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.
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