Food Pantry 4th Quarter Update

We had another generous and successful quarter in our Food Pantry mission to wrap up 2011. The number of food pantry patrons continues to grow and because of your donations and our wonderful volunteers, low income families continue to receive a food supplement twice monthly. To learn how to qualify to receive assistance from the Food Pantry, click here.

We served 687 households this quarter, up from 609 in the third quarter. Additionally, we served 203 more people this quarter than last.

As for our Thanksgiving baskets, we were blessed to have enough funds for 330 baskets, but ended up distributing 270. The remaining food was returned to the pantry shelves to be distributed as needed at a later date.

The Food Pantry is always accepting donations and is currently in need of any type of cereal, peanut butter, and jelly.

Food Pantry 3rd Qtr Update

You may know that Tomoka Christian Church has a food pantry, but you may not realize the impact that this ministry has on our church and community. In the 3rd quarter of 2011, the food pantry served 609 families, 1,608 individuals, and gave over 35 lbs of food to each family. During this time, 2,600 lbs worth of food was provided to individuals who came into the church office in need of food and received a bag of groceries. The Food Pantry also provides meals to the following ministries:

• The Palmetto House – Friday night meal
• Sandwich ministry – provides desserts
• Tuesday Church lunch
• Mission meals served in the café
• Food supplement for the Alliance Church homeless program
• Thursday night hot meal served at the Daytona Outreach Center

Donations of non-perishable food items can be brought to the food pantry basket on the mission wall in the café. They can also always use plastic shopping bags. Please remember this vital ministry in your prayers.

Matthew 25

Tomoka Christian’s Food Pantry was the beneficiary of more than two tons of food through the May 8 Boy Scout Food Drive. Below is a report about the drive from Ralph Zellers, who graciously donates his time to coordinate TCC’s Pantry.

“The Pantry was blessed with at least 27 volunteers. All that attended worked on picnic tables in the heat, receiving 195 tubs of donated food from 10 different postal routes. According to Postal Supervisor Bill Klein, each tub equates to 25 pounds of donated food. Doing the math, that equals to 4,850 pounds of food received! The volunteers separated the donated food into categories such as meat, fruit, glass, vegetables and miscellaneous condiments. We then boxed and stored the food for future distribution to Pantry patrons.”

Thank you to all who stepped up to be the hands and feet of Jesus despite the temperatures!

Ralph also shared some fascinating information about TCC’s Food Pantry and the help it is providing to local families.

1. The Pantry has about 32 regular volunteers that operate it throughout each month.
2. The Pantry feeds 35 to 45 families each week. (Most families average three people per family or approximately 160 families and 480 people on the average four-week month.)
3. Other sources of Pantry food include donations from the TCC Mission Wall basket, Publix Supermarkets and Second Harvest Food Bank.
4. To date this year we have received 24,902 pounds of food from Second Harvest at a cost $3,163.53 or an average of $158.00 per week.
5. The Pantry also serves three other ministries: The TCC kitchen, the Palmetto House Ministry and the Homeless Sandwich Ministry.

FYI: The Food Pantry is open each Saturday from 3-4:30 p.m. Those wishing to volunteer are invited to contact Ralph Zellers at (386) 672-6438.