Dear Members,
I wish everyone a very happy and holy Jubilee 2000 year.
In November 1999, we fed 39 families including 66 children, 74 adults
and 9 elderly. In December 1999, we fed 47 families including 81
children, 90 adults and 6 elderly. Of course, this does not include the
lovingly prepared Thanksgiving and Christmas Baskets. Many dreams were
realized because of our parishioners' outpouring of love and concern. We
cannot thank Linda Hunt enough for her dedication to the Holiday Basket
Program. The 20-30-Something Group did a fantastic job in coordinating
the Giving Tree as well.
In additional news, we have been receiving salvage food items from the A
& P in Arthursburg. Items are generally salvaged because of mislabeling,
ripped and dented packaging or nearness to "best used by" date. A
special thank you to Elaine Pelech for getting us involved.
Debbie and Dave Ahlgren have donated a chest freezer to use when the
walk-in freezer acts up. We appreciate this useful gift and thank them.
At the end of January (Super Bowl Weekend), the Lifeteen Group of St.
Columba/ Blessed Kateri and the Youth Group of St. Denis will conduct a
food drive for the pantry. We applaud their innovative program. Check
the bulletins for additional details.
We hope that everyone will check out our WebPages created by Michael
Alexis. What a great job he has done! The address is
http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/stcolumbasvdp
Lastly, I would like to explain how significant the Regional Food Bank
has been in our efforts to feed the hungry of our community. Though
these programs are not without their "red tape", we could never keep up
with the demand without them.
In 1996 we joined the Regional Food Bank headquartered in Albany. They
are a member of the Second Harvest network. We shop at their Cornwall,
NY branch. They have just moved to this huge warehouse from their
previous location in Milton, NY. The facility has an auditorium-size
cooler and a freezer big enough to park 3 semitractor trailers in it.
Besides providing cooperative foods, which can be purchased at below
retail prices, they are the distribution point for donated food items
from many major corporations. The donated foods cost us 12 cents a pound
regardless of what it is. The 12-cent charge is to defray the handling
expenses. We were able to apply to the New York State program called
Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) for financial
aid to cover the 12 cents a pound charge. In 1999 our grant was $ 1000.
The Food Bank also acts as the distributor for the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) surplus items, which are completely
free to us. However, these items are restricted in quantity. The roast
beefs in the freezer last fall were from the USDA.
One last thank you - Thomas's English Muffins has been providing bread
products for several years now. Jim delivers them directly to the closet
and certainly has been an invaluable resource for us.
There are so many projects going on; I hope everyone will come out to a
meeting. We need your input!
God bless you,
Carole Grafer, Chairperson
Holiday Basket Program
On December 18th we distributed 70 holiday and food gift baskets. It was
so wonderful to see the generosity of our parishioners. The 20/30
Something Group had a Giving Tree in December and collected 150 extra
gifts for our families. In addition, the Boy Scouts helped with the
unloading and loading of the cars. My sincere thanks to all who
contributed their time and resources.
Linda Hunt
Volunteers Needed
I'd like to form a committee to help at certain times of the, year with
the Holiday Baskets. If interested, please call Linda Hunt at 896 5492.
Our Next Meeting
February 9 at 7 PM in the school library Please plan to attend