Our first day to reopen since Christmas. 68 brave guests including 3 new ones came in today. We were blessed by someone who was plowing the Eagles parking lot in front of the pantry stopping by and saying, "If I remember correctly today is the day the pantry is open." and offering to plow the parking lot for us. God provides all of our needs!
Thank you for all of the food donations. Each family was given 2 bags of groceries. Hinkle Creek Friends Church gave us a large cash donation that we were able to purchase laundry soap, personal hygiene products and cereal with. They also donated several fleece blankets for us to donate. It is wonderful to see different bodies of Christ working together for a common cause.
This week we are especially in need of boxes of cereal, pancake mix, syrup, dish soap, shampoo, kleenex, toilet paper, and juices. Volunteer opportunities that we are in need of are someone to be a point person for the kids room one Thursday a month from 3-6. We also need volunteers for shopping, set-up help, clean-up help, stocking on Tuesdays between 10-2 and Thursdays for food distribution from 3:30-6. If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please let me know. It is a great way to lend a hand and you will be as blessed as those are that you are helping.
We hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful time of the year and enjoying some time with your family. We had 103 families yesterday including 13 new ones. Several exciting things are happening at the pantry. One of our single ladies came in and told us that through the love she has been shown at the pantry she had the courage to take the next step in her life and accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She was baptized by her sister and was so excited to tell us about it. One of our Hispanic families that we talked about before got an apartment. They were thrilled to have a place to live even though they have very little furniture. One of our volunteers stopped by their house to drop off some food and asked them where they ate at since there was no kitchen table. The man said we sit on the floor. Our volunteer Becky had been given some money by a co-worker earlier and looked at her husband and said we need to do something about that. She went to the Goodwill and went to the back to find a very small table with 4 chairs which will fit perfectly in their kitchen. Amazingly, it was the exact price of the money she had to pay for it! God is so good! He always provides!
Donations this week came in many different forms. Hamilton County Harvest, Open Door pantry, items bought from donations from a Turkey Run, Hinkle Creek church, NIS, Hamilton Heights Honor Society and Hamilton Southeastern school. Hamilton Heights Honor society had 10 volunteers that helped us as well.
For the next couple of weeks we are trying to stock up on cereal, oatmeal, breakfast bars, pancake mix, syrup, juice. Diapers, wipes and baby food are an essential need as well. We are still collecting empty liquid laundry containers, the 50 or 100 ounce size. The first of the month will be our laundry soap day. We also are low on plastic grocery bags. We are trying to concentrate on breakfast items to help our families. Thank you for all of your donations this year. We have been so blessed by your contributions and volunteer hours. We will reopen on January 7.
Take time to stop, sit back and reflect and remember our Saviors birth is the reason for the season. We are all blessed by not what we have done, but by what God has done and what we can do through him.
This Thursday was a Beautiful day at the food pantry. We had 127 families, including 23 new families. Thanks to Joe Stroup and Brad Graber and their "soapmaking team" we were able to give out the first of our homemade laundry soap. We are still in need of empty laundry containers that we can recyle and fill with soap to give out again. We need the 50 and 100 oz liquid bottles. Just bring them to the food pantry box in the lobby.
Thank you to everyone who donated a Christmas tree and decorations and ornaments and helped decorate the pantry. The annex is being transformed into a Christmas Village! We let the guests pick out ornaments and take home a tree if they did not have one in their home. Everyone was smiling and the Christmas Spirit was truly felt by everyone involved.
The most needed items this week include cereal, syrup, oatmeal, peanut butter and jelly, canned chicken, pasta sauce, dried beans, ramen noodles, diapers sizes 4, 5 and 6 and toilet paper, kleenex.
Next Thursday is the Community Christmas party. We are still in need of $10, $25 and $50 gift cards. Also, the pantry hours will be different. We will be open from 2:30 to 5 then the party is at 6:00. Anyone who is available to help at anytime on that day is most welcome. My son Adam is graduating from Officer School from the Marines so I will not be there but will be praying for a great turnout of volunteers and a wonderful party.
While this is the most wonderful time of the year as we celebrate the birth of Christ, please keep in prayer families that are hurting during this time and reach out as you are able to others.
