Food Closet

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Church of Our Saviour

Food Closet Ministry

Church of Our Saviour operates a Food Closet where families in need can get enough food to tide them over for two days. We now serve an average of 90 families, or about 1,900 meals, each month. There are very few screening requirements for those who obtain this help, which is available once every four weeks.

The Food Closet is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. and Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon, except for holidays. It is affiliated with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and complies with their requirements for cleanliness, safety and food distribution. Each patron must supply a picture ID. Their statistics, including family size and ages, are recorded and this determines the amount of food they are given.

The contents of the grocery bags are designed to provide balanced, nutritious meals. Typically, a family would take home either cereal or pancake mix and syrup for breakfast, a canned meat or stew or soup for lunch, and pasta or rice, canned vegetables, and a meat (beef, chicken, or venison) for dinner. Bread and canned fruits are also included.

Food to support the operation comes from many sources. The parish's annual outreach budget has a line item supporting Food and Seasonal Ministries. In addition, Church of Our Saviour members make contributions to support the work of the Food Closet. With these funds food is purchased at the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and a variety of local stores when necessary. Much of the food comes in directly as donations: a can of peas, a box of pancake mix, a small frozen chicken etcetera. A basket is available at all worship services, and attendees frequently bring an item or two for the Food Closet. Also, there are specific food drives during the year. Children attending the Summer Celebration in July bring in hundreds of pounds of food during that week. Organizations and individuals occasionally organize their own food drives to directly benefit the Food Closet. Hunters for the Hungry donate packaged ground venison seasonally. Two local bakeries donate bread and bagels on a weekly basis.

Volunteers operate the Food Closet. There are two volunteers present each day it is open to take information from the clients and provide them with food. Some volunteers also shop for food, record information necessary for monthly reports to the food bank network, travel to the bakeries to pick up donated bread, organize and take care of programs within the church to support the Food Closet.

The Food Closet at Church of Our Saviour has been providing emergency food to those in need for almost twenty years. Initially the food came in via the offering of non-perishable food by the Sunday School children (this continues today). Soon the entire congregation was involved in keeping the shelves supplied. As the clientele (and need) increased, we eventually we became a part of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank network which enabled the church to purchase food at a discount.

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