Rappahannock Plant A Row

If you want a dose of Christmas spirit, stop at the Food Pantry and talk to its director, Mimi Forbes. She was beaming this morning as she described the wonderful things that have happened at the Pantry the last few weeks.  Kind of like the ending of It’s a Wonderful Life Rappahannock style to see the community dig into its pockets and give of its time and energy to help friends in need. Wonderful examples abound.

The Pearson family has known adversity. Marvin Pearson was seriously injured in an accident and was himself the beneficiary of Rappahannock generosity. Erin and Marvin Pearson wanted to give back to the community for the help they received when they needed it. They donated ground beef, roasts and other items to the Pantry.

Blue Ridge Meats and Hunters for the Hungry (no relation to Hal), donated 400 lbs of venison.

Esther Settle of Settle’s Grocery in Flint Hill continues to bring in beaucoup groceries to replenish Pantry shelves – 324 lbs last Thursday alone. The Pantry has a brand new refrigerator thanks to Doug Shiffman. He and his wife also donated $300. Frequent Pantry volunteer Ce Pike donated $1,000 – her second large donation to the Pantry. Thanks so much, Ce!

The Amissville United Methodist’s Men’s Group sent the Pantry a check for $700; the Amissville United Methodist’s Women’s Group donated $200. The Amissville Baptist Church contributed $600. Bethel Baptist Church of Amissville gave $100. In addition to half the profit from the superb Mark Twain performance in November, the Unitarian Universalists of the Blue Ridge (UUBRidge) sent the Pantry a check for $250. St. Luke’s in Culpeper gave the Pantry $500.

S.W.I.F.T of Culpeper contributed $500. And the Pantry received a surprise check for $5,000 from an individual. Stay tuned – we’ll tell you more as details emerge about this large donation.

These monetary donations ensure that the Pantry can continue to serve those in need next year, when the federal stimulus money that has partially funded the Pantry is expected to disappear.

Kudos to the volunteers without whose help the Pantry couldn’t function One day recently, forty-four “shoppers” – a record number – filed through the Pantry! Mimi and her crew were exhausted, but happy to be making such a difference. It truly “made their day.”