Feed the Hungry at Village Baptist Church

     In addition to the families on our monthly pantry roll, we signed up more than 300 families for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Plus we adopted 19 agencies and gave them food and toys, including a homeless veterans organization, two sober houses and several tiny Haitian, Hispanic and African-American churches.

     And, all together about 4,000 needy children received wonderful presents.

     God Bless You and Your Families for all you did to make this happen!

     Over 10 December days, depending on the size and diets of families, we distributed turkeys, hams, chickens, pork patties and chicken quarters plus 5 lb. bags of potatoes, 3 lb. bags of onions, watermelons, squash and cucumbers.

     Each family was given a banana box filled with cereal, flour, macaroni and cheese and cans of peas, corn, pork ‘n’ beans, green beans, potatoes and much, much more.

     We handled toys two ways this year…(1) Through a partnership with the Salvation Army, Jacquie and many of our volunteers signed up about 500 children for toys and clothes through the Angel Tree Program (including about 200 in Pahokee), and (2) through our partnership with the Marines and Toys for Tots our wonderful volunteers and part-time staff made up bags of gifts for more than 2,000 needy kids.

    The people you helped included:

• Shut-ins who received meals made by a chef and delivered by our volunteers.
• A family who signed up at another agency only to be told the toys were stolen…we signed them up and gave them food and toys the next day.
• Desperate families who showed up Christmas Eve as we gave out the last of the food and toys – we helped them, too.

     For me, one of the most memorial people we helped was a struggling young veteran who had signed up with another agency but her case worker did not have time to deliver her food and toys before she went on Christmas vacation. We gave the young veteran food and toys and, since she did not have a car, one of our volunteers gave her a ride home.

     But she walked back to the church and asked if she could volunteer the rest of the day. I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes a regularly volunteer because she felt so accepted by the people she worked with.  

     2012 was a very busy year with all of the distractions of helping to start the Palm Beach County Food Bank.

     In many ways the Village Pantry became a second thought as Jacquie and I worked 7 days a week to help the food bank get off the ground. Payrolls, insurance, leases, trucks to buy, people to hire, food to find…

     But God honored the work and that of you pantry volunteers who stepped up and did more than ever.

     The pantry ended the year for once not in debt and with high hopes for all we can do in 2013.

     And, about the PBC Food Bank, the day before Christmas we delivered sweet potatoes, tomatoes and star fruit in the poorest part of our county -- the western communities -- oh, and there were a few hundred toys, too.
     The Food Bank finished the year near 5.6 million lbs. transported – up 32% over last year.
     Throughout 2012, more than 100 agencies received food from the Food Bank, and they in turn fed more than 30,000 families, including more than 100,000 individuals.

     Many thanks for helping us feed everyone who came to the Village Baptist Pantry, and for helping us birth the Food Bank, which is now the No. 1 source of food for soup kitchens, homeless shelters and food pantries throughout the county. The Food Bank has its own staff, budget and board of directors. Our baby is on its own!

    God Bless You All!

    Dan and Jacquie Shorter