Mission – Food Pantry Report — February 26

Some numbers from the February 26th Food Pantry…

25 new families registered
161 total families served
208 total bags distributed

This is about the highest we have ever seen, except for  Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Some Stories about our Food Pantry Friends…

The First Presbyterian Church’s Food Pantry meets twice a month to distribute bags of groceries to our friends in need. We are always interested and concerned about all our friends that come by because they are our neighbors.

Some background on our visitors: there is the beautiful young woman in her 30’s who is suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. Some Saturdays she comes to get her own bag of groceries and enjoy a chat with the volunteers. Other times, she is unable to come because of the pain from her illness. Those times when we don’t see her, we worry because she cannot get the groceries but we are able to send the groceries with her parents to take to her.

Another recipient of our Food Pantry’s groceries, who because of her chemotherapy treatment has lost her hair and now wears a wool hat. She is unable to work and needs the groceries that Food Pantry provides. We have compassion for her and hope that the treatments will work.

Over the years, many children have come with their parents to the First Presbyterian Church’s Food Pantry. Every year our Food Pantry volunteers organize “Back to School” supply kits, and before Christmas the Toys for Tots.

We volunteers take an interest in the “Pantry Kids” whom we see many times a month. This year, one of our most active volunteers had the opportunity to be a part of the camp at IBM Research called “Girls Go Tech Know” This event included 36 7th-8th grade girls from 4
“challenged” middle schools in Westchester County. Our volunteer was thrilled that one of the 9 girls from Peekskill was one of our “pantry kids” and indeed she shined during the camp. The young lady was very popular, vocal, and confident with the other girls (most of whom she had never met before) …. so much so that she interviewed by the local press and appeared in some local TV clips. We were all very proud of our young lady, “a pantry kid”, and her achievement. We pray for her continued success in Tech.

Food Pantry does make a difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors.

:)