Stroudwater Pantry Status 1/27/16

Hi Team – This was the busiest week ever recorded by your Stroudwater Food Pantry!

In total (both Sunday and Wednesday) we served 57 families this week, accounting for 157 people being fed. 19 new families joined us this week, bringing us to a total of 217 families registered to receive groceries on a regular basis.  This past Sunday the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram printed a series of articles about hunger in Maine; your Stroudwater Christian Church was featured in one of the articles, and can be read at the following link: http://www.pressherald.com/2016/01/24/food-pantries-filling-critical-need/  We believe this was the reason for our increase in new people this week.

The total of our two Hannaford pickups yielded 848 lbs. of food.  Our separate purchases and donations (non-Hannaford) of can foods and dry stores totaled 298 lbs. Our big influx of clients this week took a heavy toll on our food supplies, so we are counting on solid food donations from Hannaford this week.  Volunteers for the week included Adam, Sheamus Denise, Meghan, Anne, Jean, Bill B. and myself.

What’s Next –

• Our shift volunteers for Sunday the 31st will be Adam, Sheamus and Tammy; for Wednesday 2/03 pantry volunteers will be Doug, Frank, Angie and Deb.
• We successfully concluded our 2016 Strategic Planning; both the plan and our 2015 annual report have been distributed to the team and to the official Church Board.
• We have developed a way for church family and outside benefactors to donate cash to the pantry.  They make a check payable to Stroudwater Christian Church, and write “Food Pantry” on the memo line.  The funds are channeled to our pantry budget, and the donor receives a year end statement for tax records that includes the amount.

Praise the Lord for the food He continues to provide, that we might serve those in need!!   — Doug