Food Shelf News

It is amazing each year how much needs to be done and how generous volunteers are with their time and energy in our community. If we missed the opportunity to thank you by name, please know that your contributions make a difference and are very much appreciated!
Work is progressing in earnest for the upcoming December Holiday Baskets. Maj Eisinger and Sue Hall are busy creating spreadsheets and time-saving forms. Sienna Searles made new signs for the Toy Drive boxes, which will be distributed and managed by Tammy Hall and Lisa Beal. Toy boxes will be located at the Little Garden Market, Library, Senior Center, Charlotte Congregational Church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Charlotte Central School. The biggest gift need this year is for girls and boys age five to 17 years.
As always, there are many folks to thank for their contributions. Thanks to the CCS students in grades K-4 who helped transport the Thanksgiving food boxes, insuring that others would have a nice Thanksgiving. Hats off to the super-organized teachers – without their assistance Thanksgiving baskets would not be nearly as nice. The yummy looking pumpkin cranberry bread, turkey candy dishes filled with goodies, and the handmade turkey center pieces made each basket very special! Thanks to Lynn Cluff and her art students for decorating food boxes with beautiful corn designs and eye-catching hand prints.
Thanks to the many volunteers who sorted and packed the food boxes: Laura Iglehart, Kerrie Pughe, Linda Gilbert, Jeri Bergdahl, Mary Volk, Mary Ellen Hebert, Bob Monsey, Louise Fairbank, Kelly Dousevicz and Krissi Najarian.
Thanks to the volunteer shoppers: Betty and Frank Ryan, Cindy Robinson, Allie, William Hall, Mickey Lazar, Michael Lazar and Gayle Gardner.
Thanks to the young mother from CCS (with the black lab puppy), who helped Lynn Alpeter and John Lavigne transport all the food boxes from CCS to the Food Shelf.
Thanks to Boy Scouts John Curtis, Nathan Stetson, Sam Zimmerman, Will Dolliver, Liam Morse and Thomas Robinson and their Scoutmasters Seth Zimmerman and Ray Curtis for the great job they did carrying turkeys and food baskets to recipients’ cars.
Thanks to Kate, Samuel and Will Raszka, Tammy Hall and Cindy Robinson for delivering food baskets to recipients who were without transportation.
Thanks to the Charlotte-Shelburne Rotary for its annual donation of turkeys. During this difficult economic time these insured that each food shelf family was able to celebrate this traditional American holiday. Thanks to the Shelburne Supermarket owners for storing the turkeys in their freezer and for donating profits from the coffee station.
Thank you to The Charlotte News for publishing the Food Shelf updates.
Thanks to everyone who donated squash, pumpkins, carrots, potatoes and beets. Last-minute requests were generously filled by the Evan Metropoulos family. Thanks to Farrell Distributing for the cases of sparkling juice.
 Thanks to Tammy Hall for volunteering to distribute the Holiday Toy Boxes and collecting the donations. Thanks to Lisa Beal for volunteering to sort the toys and gifts during the Holiday Basket set-up day. Thanks to Marion Roberts, Ted Roberts, Bill Roberts, Pam Darling, Alexandra Lehmann, and Beth Sytsma for their hard work – canning, picking and selling those beautiful blackberries. Profits ($824) were donated to the Charlotte Food Shelf.
Thanks to Judy Billard for donating fresh eggs from her chickens and to Dave Quickel from Stoney Loam Farm for donating cases of organic carrots and potatoes.
At this writing, 24 local families have signed up for Holiday Food and gift baskets from the Charlotte Food Shelf. (This assistance will benefit 28 children between the ages of 1-17 years.)

How to help:
1. Holiday Food/Gift Basket Setup Day is Friday, December 18, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Nancy Block at 425-6116 or nancyhbloch@gmail.com. No experience necessary.
2. The Annual Charlotte Toy Drive starts on November 30. Toy Boxes will be located at the Charlotte Central School, the Little Garden Market, Charlotte Congregational Church, the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Senior Center, and the Library. Gifts for boys and girls ages 1 -17 years are needed. The greatest need is for teenage appropriate gifts (such as gift certificates).
3. If you would like to mail in a gift certificate or financial donation, please send it to:  Charlotte Food Shelf, c/o Karen Doris, 3319 Mt Philo Road, Charlotte, VT 05445.

4. Mitten and Glove donations are needed for the Holiday Food/Gift Baskets. If you are interested in contributing handmade or purchased mittens or gloves, please drop them off at the Food Shelf on or before Friday, December 19.
5. Giving Trees will be set up on November 28 at local churches. There are 62 gift wishes this year. To find out more about this program and how you can help, contact Congregational Church representatives Katherine Kjelleren (482-2745) and Nan Boffa (425-2630). Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Giving Tree Representative is  Karen Doris (425-3252).

Food Shelf Contacts:
Emergency Food: Lisa, 425-2952
General Information: Karen, 425-3252.

The Food Shelf is open on the following Thursdays: December 3, December 17, January 7, January 21.