May 2013

Dear Friends of the PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington,

It is with regret that we announce the resignation of our director, Molly Colyer. Molly has been a great asset to us but has been advised by her physician to leave employment and concentrate on resolving her continuing health problems. Molly has been a passionate, caring anchor for our operations and we will miss her energy and devotion to the food pantry.

We are happy to welcome our new Director of Operations, Gessica Peraza. Gessica was the Recreational Director at the Pickerington Area Soccer Association for 12 years and brings many excellent skills to her new position. She has volunteered at the Food Pantry for over four years. She will be in charge of the daily operations of the food pantry- supervising client food distribution; overseeing the ordering, delivery, storage and stocking of food; training and scheduling volunteers; and handling donations and banking accounts. We are very fortunate that Gessica is available to work with us and know that she will be a great asset to the food pantry. Her energy, enthusiasm and easy smile make her a wonderful addition to the food pantry.
We are now interviewing candidates for a second director position called Director of Community Relations. This person will be in charge of maintaining and expanding community relationships, directing fundraising and coordinating any expansion of services for our clients. Qualifications for this position include having the ability to relate well in writing and speaking, making connections and forming relationships, as well as experience and training in fundraising and grant writing skills. Both director positions are part time and report directly to the board of trustees.

If you know of any interested parties with these qualifications, please have them contact Susan Hite, at susanhite@insight.rr.com or call 614-834-0734.

We have additional changes to report. Our number of clients is growing and we have the need to schedule their appointments for pantry visits. Beginning May 1, 2013 all clients will need to call Information and Referral in Lancaster to make a shopping appointment the day before they want to come to visit (for Monday shopping, please call the previous Friday) Clients have been receiving this information since April 1. This will be a transitional time and we will need to be patient but we expect it to be working well by the end of June.

As our organization grows and things change, we hope you will be patient with us as we keep up with the needs of our clients and the every changing world of social services. We are very far from the small food pantry located in the basement of the Historical Society. We are in a far better place to serve our clients, yet feel as though we have a long way to go. Thank you for joining us in our journey!

We are grateful for your continued support and enthusiasm for the mission of the food pantry.

Thank you!!!

Susan Hite, President,
PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington Board of Trustees

FOOD DRIVE LIST

CANNED/PACKAGED FOODS

Vegetables

Diced Tomatoes
Tomato Sauce
Spaghetti Sauce
Green Beans
Corn
Creamed Corn
Mixed Vegetables
Peas

Fruits

Applesauce
Mandarin Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple, chunks
Orange juice (canned)
Apple juice (canned)
Grape juice (canned)

Canned Meats/Protein

Tuna
Chicken
Peanut Butter
Turkey
Almonds

Canned Beans

Great Northern (canned)
Baked Beans (canned)
Kidney Beans (canned)
Pinto Beans (canned)
Black Beans (canned)

Complete Canned Meals

Spaghettios
Ravioli
Beef stew
Ramen noodles
Chili

Soups

Tomato
Vegetable Beef (no vegetarian vegetable)
Chicken Noodle
Cream of mushroon
Hearty soups

Food Drive List
Stock Food List

Thank you!

May 2013

Kroger "Community Rewards" program will also help the food pantry! The pantry NPO number is 84679. You need to enroll or re-enroll after May 1, 2013. You can register on line at www.krogercommunityreward.com, where you need to click on Columbus, OH and click on "enroll". To re-enroll, go to Kroger.com and sign in. Should you have any questions, please call 1-800-KROGERS. We thank Kroger and those who enroll in this program for their support.

March 2013

We thank the Pickerington High School Central and North LaCrosse students for organizaing a food drive that ended on May 10th. They brought in over 700 items and we are very thankful for that! In addition, Pickerington High School North's After Prom brought in over 70 items and $400 in cash. Thank you!

We thank the residents of Pickerington who sent in over 1,200 items during the recent USPS Food Drive.

The food pantry also thanks the "angels" from Grace Fellowship Church that checked, sorted and stocked all the junior high donations!

Thank you to those who helped make the Breakfast with the Bunny event in March a success:

City of Pickerington Parks & Recreation
Kroger - Hill Road, Pickerington
Sam's Club - Reynoldsburg
Reynoldsburg/Pickerington Rotary Club
Target Business Services
Tim Horton's - Pickerington and Corporate
Volunteers from Grace Fellowship Church and PCMA Food Pantry of Pickerington
Photographer John Tupper

Special thanks to the Cook and the two Maintenance employees of Pickerington Central High School

What a blessing it is to be in such a caring community that supports this food pantry and blessed help is just an email away!