Summertime
Appreciating our Community
What a team!
Last week, the pantry had its annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic. Each year is a celebration to recognize the dedicated volunteers who make up the core of all we do to help those in need in our community.
This year, our Pantry Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator, Kristin Jahne, added an Olympic theme to the festivities. Friendly competitions were held with the following events – Can Gymnastics, Baguette Javelin and Banana Box Powerlifting.
Also recognized were a smaller group of volunteers who went above in their efforts this year. We recognized those with over 200 hours of volunteering. This select group each received handmade pantry tote bags and Olympic medals designed by Kristin.
The pantry could not continue to serve the community without these tireless volunteering efforts. We want to thank each and every person who has given their time. We could not run the pantry without your help!
Stephen Souls, Pantry Manager
Welcome to our Neighborhood!
We welcome Navigant Credit Union to North Kingstown and they welcomed the Pantry with a check for $5,000! Navigant Credit Union recently opened a local branch at 1041 Ten Rod Road. Pictured in the middle of the photo between the Navigant Credit Union representatives are our Board President, Kim Page and Pantry Assistant, Kristin Jahne. Thank you to everyone at Navigant for making this such a great day.
Produce – It Takes A Community
The Stony Lane Outdoor Classroom has been a living, educational classroom garden for many years. Hundreds of students, parents and teachers have helped make the garden what it is today. Several years ago, they donated some compost bins to the pantry. With the help of our volunteer, ‘Compost Phil’, we have been able to successfully compost items and give back to the Stony Lane garden. Every growing season, students have come to the pantry to bring us some fruits and veggies of their labors. What a lesson in true, full circle community involvement.
For more info on the Stony Lane Outdoor Classroom and its impact on the community, click here.
Thank you to our local partners
Eating well and having opportunities for nutritious foods is not always easy for many of our clients. The food pantry is very fortunate to have a number of organizations donating fresh produce every week. We wanted to take the opportunity to give a sincere thank you to many of those helping us with our mission.
Rhode Island Community Food Bank – Providence, RI
Lucky Foot Ranch Farm – Saunderstown, RI
Ocean State Community Wellness Community Garden – North Kingstown, RI
Farm Fresh RI – Providence, RI
Kiki’s Garden – Exeter, RI
URI Master Gardeners
Brandon Family Farm – West Kingston, RI
Morris Farm – Field and Flower, Exeter, RI
Neighborhood Food Drives
Neighborhood food drives are a great community-driven way to help the pantry fill our shelves. We recently had several neighborhoods participate. Mary and Carol, from the Shore Acres Community Association neighborhood and Irene, bringing donations from Mill Cove neighborhoods, were able to contribute hundreds of pounds of needed food for our summer shoppers. A huge thank you to all those who participated in these neighborhood drives. Summer is still here and we continue to try to keep ahead of the demand. Please consider hosting a drive in your neighborhood!
We always say, “Every can counts and every dollar counts”. We can also say that about hygiene items. We are lucky enough to have a hygiene closet to provide many of the essential hygiene items our clients need. Items like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorant are always needed. Recently, we received a walk-up donation from Sean Foye, HarborOne Banking Center Manager in East Greenwich of several bags of much-needed items to fill our closet. These are the things that make our community so special. Thank you, Sean!