May 21, 2025

Save the Date! Our Second Hoop House & Garden Blessing will be held on June 11, 2025. Sign up to attend…at the pantry, church office, or in the Old Well Hall.

"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.

Manna delivered quite a bit of fresh produce to our delight!  Our neighbors enjoy the onions, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes and apples.  TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) included many canned items that are favorites of our neighbors.  Cases of chicken and corn to mention a few items were shelved by volunteers.

If you're old enough to remember Tinker toys or Lincoln logs, then you can only imagine how eager the volunteers are building the second hoophouse! It's worth it to drive by the Garden and watch as they sort through the 100's of items of different shapes and sizes. In just a week, the main frame is up...We are excited to prolong our growing season to produce organically grown veggies throughout the year.

We welcomed 114 families representing 400 individuals and eight new families. The eight new families represent a total of thirty-eight family members.  We continue to need volunteers who can help with Spanish registrations. Once a month would be very helpful! We also need one person once a month to pick up milk and one person to pick up from Sav-Mor.

On behalf of our Pantry Board, we express our heartfelt gratitude for your generous food and monetary donations to our pantry. Your donations will make a significant impact on the lives of those in our community who are struggling with food insecurity.

- Kathy Noyes, for the Executive Committee