February 12, 2025

It was another busy Saturday morning at the pantry. On February 8th we served 129 households comprised of 480 individuals. We welcomed seven new households and 28 new individuals. Even though it is winter, the pantry garden is still producing hardy plantings in the hoop house. This Saturday we were able to offer freshly harvested carrots to our visitors. These were actively embraced by fresh produce lovers. Lord’s Acre volunteers are currently doing new plantings in the hoop house.  We’re looking forward to additional varieties soon.

This Saturday we were joined by several students from Christ School. They helped with assisting clients get food from the pantry into their cars. Two of the students are studying Spanish and helped out by translating and talking with our Hispanic clients.

 We’re not just about food, although providing it for those in need is our passion and top priority. This week we had pharmacy student interns from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy UNCA campus, performing glucose and blood pressure checks for our visitors who requested the tests. We also offered donations such as magazines, books, blankets, and Valentine items. This week we added two items to our array of pamphlets and other information that our clients may find useful in finding things, like free legal help etc. if needed. The pantry has obtained a stock of “Red Cards” created by the Immigration Legal Resource Center. These cards, in Spanish and Ukrainian, provide information to all U.S residents, regardless of their immigration status, on their rights under the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution.  More information on this can be found on Page 2A of the 2/10/25 Citizen Times.  Additionally, we now have two full multilingual pages of location and contact information for the many Buncombe service providers that can be accessed for help if needed. These are posted in the pantry and are also available as takeaways.

 We continue to recognize and thank partner churches, community members, civic organizations, schools, retirement communities, donors, foundations, and all who have contributed in many ways to this ministry of service to those experiencing food insecurity.

Fred Yopps, for the Executive Committee