December at the Food pantry

Good afternoon, everyone ­ It was a much more peaceful day at the pantry this morning after all the hubbub around Thanksgiving. Today we served a total of 19 families, including 27 adults, 21 children and 6 seniors. They were served by me, Benny, Carol, Eileen, Ellen, Kevin, Lyn and Mary Anne. Several volunteers spent time upstairs in an office full of shelf­stable food from the Masters School, sorting and bringing the food down to the shelves. This sorting effort was started by me and Nell Klassen from South Church and her friend. We spent an hour sorting and setting aside all the various types of food brought by the Masters students. Thanks so much to Nell and her friend for working so hard. Last Sunday afternoon the Rivertown Center for Yoga and Health had a donation yoga class. Today they gave us an envelope full of cash and checks. What a loving organization. We’re lucky that they’ve been a part of South Church for so many years. And we got a large check from the Presbyterian Women’s Committee of the Irvington Presbyterian Church. They had a gargantuan attic sale a few weeks ago, and I believe this donation comes from the proceeds of that sale. What would we do without the religious organizations in the Rivertowns? They constantly support us in our mission to feed the hungry with dignity and respect. Last week Carol Seischab brought two boxes of food from Zion Episcopal. This week she brought us food from Dobbs Ferry Lutheran. Thank you, Carol, for helping both these organizations support us. Two fun things are coming up: I’ll be at a dinner at the Bonnie Briar Country Club, sponsored by the Giving Circle of Lower Westchester. They’ve given us grants two years in a row, and on top of that, they feed us once a year. And morning the Ardsley United Methodist Church is having a Candy Cane breakfast to honor volunteers in the area. Ellen and I will be there with bells on. Running a pantry is not all work. The next push is Christmas. We’re planning to give some extras to the clients on . on Saturday Tonight Saturday December 23