News - from the Director

From the Director's Chair 

 

It has been a busy Spring for the Family Pantry. The Healthy Meals in Motion Mobile Pantry has expanded to include the Monomoy Service Center families, the plans for the 2018 Summer Gala are underway, Soup Bowls for Hunger went off without a hitch, and in our spare time there is a group of volunteers working to "re-imagine" the Pantry as we continue to serve more and more clients.

 

We are grateful to be able to serve over 9,300 people annually and are currently on track to provide over 87,000 bags of groceries this year. That is pretty amazing! We could not do what we do without our volunteers, neighbors and you our Cape community!!

 

Slide to the end of the newsletter and you will see we are adding a new shift at the Pantry to meet the increased demand. There is always room for you at the Pantry, just click the link and send us your application.

 

I hope you saved the date and will be joining us on June 24th at our 7th Annual Summer Gala. This year we will be featuring a rocking new dance band to get the crowd moving, along with our traditional open bar and great food.

 

Lastly, take a minute to read about our own Harwich Port treasure, The Second Glance Thrift Boutique and all it does for The Pantry and the community.

 

Happy Spring (sigh, finally)

 

Christine

The Second Glance Thrift Boutique is your one stop shopping thrift store with treasures ranging from affordable furniture to name brand clothing bargains.

 

Purchases made at the store are a direct donation to The Family Pantry and supports the food program, providing food to over 9,300 clients annually. The Boutique is a great resource for people who may be struggling to make ends meet and for those bargain hunting "thrifters" who are attracted to what has been called "the Nordstrom's of thrift."

 

The store is open from 10:00- 4:00 pm Monday through Saturday and is located at 265 Main Street (Route 28) in West Harwich, Mass.

 

 

 

If you like to garden or you would like to learn about gardening, please join Laura McCullough and her volunteer team of fearless "dirt diggers" as they work the 9,000 square foot Family Pantry garden.

 

The garden provides over 6,000 pounds of fresh vegetables each season and is helping the Pantry to reach the goal of providing at least 30% of the total foods distributed as fresh vegetables and fruits. No experience is necessary just a willingness to help!

National Volunteer Week brought Candy Manor candy and smiles to the mobile pantry selection team, as the Pantry celebrated the support of 660 passionate volunteers.

The Chatham Wayside Inn hosted another lovely Volunteer Service Award luncheon for The Pantry on April 25th. Volunteers received an official citation from Julian Cyr and the Massachusetts State Senate, recognizing their achievement.

Soup Bowls For Hunger 2018

 

The Cape Cod Potters and the Culinary Arts Department of Cape Cod Regional Technical School hosted the 26th annual, sold out event, and once again it was a huge success.

 

Thanks to the Girl Scouts of Dennis and Yarmouth, Cape Cod Five, Trader Joe's Market, 28 individual potters, four schools, five Art Centers and AmeriCorps Cape Cod for all of their help in making this event come to life for over 600 attendees. A special thanks to the culinary arts students for providing two wonderful soups.

 

The annual event raised the funds to provide over 59,000 meals for those in need across Cape Cod.

 

Gail Turner of Millstone Pottery and a group of dedicated potters and friends have made Soup Bowls for Hunger possible for the past 26 years. Well Done and Thank You!

Thank you to the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod and the Cape and Islands United Way for their support of the Krafts for Kids program planned for this summer.

 

Grocery shopping can be hard on parents and kids, so a group of summer teenage volunteers designed a program to offer an arts and crafts session for the children while they wait for their parents to shop.

 

This is the second year of the program and this support will allow the program to expand to include more Pantry children. Thank you to the Cape and Islands United Way and the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod for making shopping a little easier!

The Sing for Good Concert held at First Parish Brewster, organized by Music Director Danica Buckley, was a wonderful evening providing over 6,600 meals for Pantry clients. Thank You!

The annual 2018 Foods for Friends campaign raised over $10,000 for the Family Pantry Food Program. Thanks to store manager Mike Farrell and his associates for their continued support.

Chatham Women's Club donated the equivalent of 4,000 meals to support the Healthy Meals in Motion Mobile Pantry in the Chatham Community. This is the second year the Women's Club has supported The Family Pantry. Nicely Done and Thank You!

The Chatham Candy Manor supplied the Pantry with a wonderful custom candy gift for all of the Pantry volunteers during National Volunteer Week. The Chatham Candy Manor has supported this event for the past three years. Thank you Susan and Sue!

Thank you to the AmeriCorps of Cape Cod for helping to open up the Garden for the 2018 growing season. Each year the team comes to help open and close the Pantry's 9,000 square foot vegetable garden.