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Good News from St. Paul’s Food Pantry
In addition to contributions of food and cash from our Food Pantry’s supporters, we need major infusions of funds with which to purchase groceries from the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, the non-profit co-op to which our pantry belongs. Through the co-op, we also qualify for free food distributed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2016, our pantry received $8,816.73 worth of peanut butter, pasta, spaghetti sauce, applesauce, kidney beans, corn, green beans, instant potatoes, corn flakes, toasted oats, and raisins. That’s a lot of quality food for our clients and a huge help for our budget. In addition, we recently received word from Episcopal Charities that our 2017 grant request had been approved in the amount of $6,400. With our annual funding from the State of New York’s “hip-nap” program (HPNAP, for Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program), we are able to keep food on our shelves to meet the needs of our neighbors who come to us for help.
The first month of the new year saw the pantry off to a busy start. Two hundred sixty-six people came for food and went home with enough to feed 756 people. Our volunteers are kept busy Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10-2 taking orders and filling bags. We have several new volunteers and will be having a meeting soon to talk about pantry operations and how we can improve the experience for everyone.
–Food Pantry volunteer Molly Jones
Have you picked up your Envelope Box for 2017?
Envelope boxes for people who have returned their pledge cards are available in the Narthex along with the 2016 End of Year Statements. Please help save postage by taking yours today.
Please see Cynthia Benjamin or Bobbie Gordon if you don’t see a box of envelopes with your name.