Rappahannock Plant A Row

The Pantry's produce counter last Thursday, just prior to its opening for customers

July was a good month at the Food Pantry! Vegetable and fruit donations totaled 1,755 lbs in July, compared to June’s 650 lbs. Rappahannock County is the envy of neighboring counties for the amount, variety and quality of the produce offered at our Pantry. And virtually nothing goes to waste. If Pantry director Mimi Forbes feels that she has more than our Pantry clients can use, she’ll share our fresh food wealth with Page and Fauquier County Food Banks. Her first concern, though, is always Rappahannock County folks.

More than twice as much canned and packaged food was donated in July than in June. Pet food donations were down. One hundred and twenty-three households were enrolled in the Pantry as of July 31. Eleven households signed up for the Pantry last week, many because of the excellent July 23 article in the Rappahannock News encouraging those who need a little help to use the Pantry.

In August we’ll be collecting school supplies at the Pantry. We’re looking for glue sticks, pencils, black and blue pens, black and white composition notebooks, one-subject spiral notebooks, loose-leaf paper, crayons, Crayola-type markers, hand sanitizers, and Kleenex.

Hats off to Betty Price, formerly of Castleton, now living in Reston. Betty asked her local grocery store and Panera Bread for food donations, which will be forthcoming. She also arranged for the Rappahannock Food Pantry to receive 131 lbs of overstocked canned corn, soup, and macaroni and cheese from the Reston Food Pantry. And, on her own, Betty contributed 164 lbs of milk, peanut butter, and tuna, and a bushel of peaches!

Walter and Marilyn Price, and their prolific hens, gave us amazing numbers of eggs this winter and spring. Sadly, most of their chickens fell victim to a fox. The Prices are starting a new brood of chickens and taking anti-fox measures, but it’ll be a while before their egg production gets back to its former levels. We need eggs!

Mimi Delozier has contributed much of the milk available at the Pantry from the start. Milk is always in demand, so it flies off our refrigerator shelves. We could use more milk donations.

Thanks to David Shaffer, Rappahannock County Library director, for replenishing the children’s books available at the Pantry. David is also putting together a box of large print books for older Pantry clients.

Among our churches, Methodists are off to an early lead in food contributions! Sperryville, Flint Hill, and Willis Chapel United Methodist Churches have each contributed canned and boxed goods. Please call Mimi at (540) 675-1177 if your church, social, or civic group would like to contribute to the Pantry. She’ll suggest specific items.