Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Monday, August 6, 2007
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Remembering our pledges...
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all."
"I affirm my loyalty to the Christian Flag
and to the Savior whose cross it bears,
one spiritual fellowship under that cross,
uniting us in service and love."
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Friday, June 22, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
From The Daily Sun
Christian Food Pantry aids people who fall on hard times, struggles to keep shelves full
LADY LAKE — Cheryl Hershberger knows from experience that summer will be the Christian Food Pantry’s busiest time of the year, when children are not in school to receive their meals.
“We always have a hard time keeping enough food stocked in the pantry during the summer months,” said Hershberger, a Spruce Creek South resident who serves as the volunteer director for the pantry.
“Our storage areas are going down very fast and we’re scrambling,” she said. “In two weeks, we’ll be scraping the bottom of the barrel and we really need the help.”
The food pantry serves residents of Lady Lake, The Villages, Summerfield south of County Road 42 and east of U.S. Highway 301, and Weirsdale west of the Ocklawaha River.
Among the people who visit the pantry at 103 E. Lady Lake Blvd. are about 10 families in The Villages who struggle to make ends meet on fixed incomes, Hershberger said, as well as large families with children.
“They are having a hard time with everything,” Hershberger said. “And it’s not just the rising cost of gasoline; everything is more expensive.”
She believes the demand for the pantry’s services, unfortunately, will only increase.
“We serve about 150 families a month, but we expect it to increase to 200 families or more,” Hershberger said. “Two hundred families is a lot of people. We have families of one and two, and families of nine to 11, so we go through food very quickly.”
The food pantry provides two bags of groceries for a small family, three bags for a medium family, and four or five bags for a large family — about five days of meals.
“It’s really just meant to tide them through,” Hershberger said. “Most of our people get welfare of some sort or food stamps, and if they don’t, we are encouraging them to do that. We are also encouraging them to get jobs and help themselves, because that’s the key.”
Each family receives certain staple items from the food pantry, in addition to a few items the family selects.
Hershberger added, “We also are giving them a pound of ground beef, some hot dogs, hot dog buns and bread when we have it, and eggs. We provide those (perishables) with the cash donations we receive.”
Hershberger strives to be a good steward with the cash donations the pantry receives, shopping at grocery stores with the best prices.
“I can feel a difference with the rising costs,” Hershberger said. “Yet, I’m very careful about where I buy it and how much it costs.”
The Christian Food Pantry receives the bulk of its nonperishable food during the Christmas season, during the Holiday Harvest Food Drive hosted in The Villages, and the annual drive by the Boy Scouts, Hershberger said. A few churches and organizations provide food on a regular basis, too.
Hershberger is appreciative of each and every donation.
“During the holiday season when we get most of our food donations, we store it,” she said. “Yet, by this time of the year, it’s dwindling quickly, and it’s almost gone.”
Hershberger remains optimistic.
She has faith that Villagers and area residents will come to the rescue and help fill the pantry’s shelves.
“I’m not worried, because the people here always give,” Hershberger said with a gentle smile. “They’ll step up and they’ll do what needs to be done, once they know that we have a need.”
Peanut butter, boxes of macaroni and cheese, and canned fruits and vegetables are among nonperishables that quickly disappear from the shelves.
“We are in need of everything,” Hershberger said. “Basically, we can use cans of beef stew, corned beef hash, chicken and dumplings, canned pasta, miscellaneous beans, spaghetti sauce, canned meats, macaroni and cheese, canned potatoes, boxed meals, peanut butter, canned fruit and toilet paper. Those are our basic needs.”
“I also could use some summer volunteers, and I need them desperately,” Hershberger said, “because a lot of our snowbirds leave and then a lot of people go on vacation, and they are just not available.”
Those interested in volunteering may call Hershberger at 874-8027.
She also would love to hear from volunteers who are capable of lifting 20 to 25 pounds.
“I can really use them, because in the summer a lot of things have to be moved,” she said. “I can’t do it alone and I need the help.”
Nancy Van Gorden of the Village of Santo Domingo is among the pantry’s volunteers. She has been serving for two years, stocking shelves and helping clients every Tuesday.
“I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping people,” Van Gorden said. “This is very worthy service, and the food pantry is always in need of donations for food. There are a lot of needy people in the surrounding area.”
Hershberger wants to see the food pantry grow to be able to provide families in need with more food.
“We’re going to step this up,” she said. “We’re going to give them more food, and we’re going to work in conjunction with Love Inc., and we’re going to work on this community and get it in better shape.”
Hershberger said Love Inc. is an organization of churches committed to working together to provide more services and more funds to help people through hard times.
In the meantime, Hershberger is hopeful more residents, clubs and churches will come through with food donations for the pantry.
“The need is always there,” Hershberger said, “and there are always people looking for ways to help the community. This is how you can help.”
Theresa Campbell is a senior features writer with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9260, or theresa.campbell@thevillagesmedia.com.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Dear Lord
We praise you and give you glory
For the wonderful things you do for us;
For life and health,
for friends and family,
for this splendid day.
**
Monday, May 7, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Our Donors
Thanks to all the individuals and organizations who generously give to make our ministry possible!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Villages resident learns to ask, then prepare to receive
Villager Cheryl Hershberger is tickled pink, and she wants the community to know why.As the on-site manager of the Christian Food Pantry in Lady Lake, Cheryl is pleased by the response from residents who have answered the call for food donations to the pantry.
“People are coming out of the woodwork and I am thrilled,” Cheryl said after a story about the pantry’s need for nonperishable foods was published in the Daily Sun.“People are so generous and wonderful,” she said. “It just blows me away. We have had people coming in here since Monday morning bringing stuff, and it’s just getting better and better all the time.”Cheryl says she was deeply touched when a local group, the Cleveland Browns Backers, offered to provide 200 holiday hams for the pantry’s clients for Easter. She was touched again when Chick-Fil-A offered to host a Spirit Night on May 4, from which the restaurant will donate 15 percent of its sales. Chick-Fil-A’s management also hopes diners will bring nonperishable food donations that can be loaded into a truck and delivered to the pantry.Several Villagers asked Cheryl where they could mail monetary donations for the pantry. The best way, she says, is to make checks payable to North Lake Presbyterian Church, which oversees the food pantry, and write Christian Food Pantry on the memo line. Donations can be mailed to the church, 975 Rolling Acres Road, Lady Lake.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Monday, April 9, 2007
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Available Food and Clothing Ministries in Wildwood, FL
Our church’s food and clothing ministry, Caring Hands, corner of Gamble and Hall Streets, 1 – 4 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, for Wildwood residents only at this point. Phone 748-2553, leave message.Wildwood UMC’s food pantry, 300 Mason Street, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Fridays. I think they serve all of Sumter County. Phone number 748-1318.The 1st Presbyterian Church of Wildwood, 203 Barwick, serves free lunches daily from 11 – 12:30, too. I’m not sure what their service area really is. Phone number is 748-1008.
