Feel that energy?!  Our Pantry for the past month has been "Magnetic!" Preston Blakely, Mayor of Fletcher, delivered a quarter ton of food this weekend.  Over 100 new "neighbors" were welcomed and shopped for food over the past month. Manna offered us 1100 pounds of produce, protein, and canned goods on Tuesday and delivered the items. The Turkey Meal has been a huge success and meal items will be distributed this weekend (Nov. 22). There have been at least 20+ first time volunteers over the past month.

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With respect and gratitude, we salute our Veterans this week. We thank them for their service to our country. We are appreciative, too, for the volunteers who give their time and energy to our pantry. Edward Jones donated several grocery carts of food. Ingles delivered over 200 pounds of "meal" bags filled food. George delivered food and offered to come back and volunteer.  Nativity Lutheran and Fletcher Methodist dropped off several carts of food donations and helped shelve the items. Donations are welcome and appreciated.

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Alas...it was not a parade at the pantry on Saturday. It was 162 vehicles making their way to the pantry parking lot. If the 40+ volunteers had not arrived before 8:00, we would still be distributing food until the last person was served. When the 112 pounds of produce from our garden (cabbages, peppers, and collards) were added with the produce from Manna (potatoes, onions, peppers, and lettuce), smiles broke out among our "neighbors!" Even with the larger number of neighbors, we were prepared to offer milk, eggs, and meat to everyone.

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A shout out to Manna Food bank!  For the past many years, we received Manna deliveries twice a month. Kristen, our contact with Manna, encouraged us to order on the off-week, too.  The only "hitch" is you had to pick it up. Without hesitation, Doug offered his trailer for what we call the Mini-Manna Pickup. We usually order meat, produce, and eggs. Beginning this week, a calendar is posted for days and times for deliveries. On Big-Manna week, we usually have over 5,000 pounds delivered and volunteers arrive around 8:30. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to get everything shelved. On Mini-Manna week, we receive less than 1,500 pounds. Volunteers arrive around 2:00 and work less than an hour. You don't need to sign-up...just surprise us with your presence!

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Falling Leaves, Hay Rides, Autumn, Pumpkin Spice, Harvest, and Pumpkin Pie…Fletcher Methodist Church set the tone for our food distribution this past Saturday. Their front campus is filled with pumpkins. Each of our neighbor's children left with a mini pumpkin held tightly in their hands. Thanks to Sylvia our pantry is decked with fall leaves attached to strings of light.

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"Quiet on the Set!" Ready! Action! Bill from WLOS was at the Pantry on Tuesday morning videoing Chef Martha preparing three different recipes for the Carolina Kitchen. The aroma of her apple chutney permeated throughout the gathering room. Using items available to our "neighbors," she prepared mouthwatering Cajun Chicken Sliders, tasty Apple Chutney, and delicious Honey Garlic Green Beans. The recipes can be viewed on WLOS during the noon Carolina Kitchen segment over the next several weeks.

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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.

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Pharmacy 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.

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"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!

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On 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!

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This 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.

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Wow! 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.

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Timing 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!

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You 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.

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Are 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.

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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. 

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Just 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.

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Surprises 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.  

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Some 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.

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Hooray 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. 

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