Angels in our midst

This morning I was volunteering as I often do at the Catholic Charities Food Pantry in our village. People who come here for food and clothing are often very needy. Many of our clients are reluctant to come because they’re very proud individuals who really are trying to make ends meet. Besides helping people in need, volunteering here has helped me to continue to be active in the  community. I believe that it is better to give than to receive. I marvel at the the wonderful donations that members of the community bring to the pantry. Fresh Market, a grocery store in the village keeps the pantry regularly supplied with bread, cookies and vegetables. We also get garden fresh vegetables from local farmers. Venison comes from hunters with a heart for others. Some items come from the Western New York food bank too.

This morning a large shipment came from the employees of the West Valley Demonstration Project. These generous folks donated 2 and 1/2 pallets of groceries which included peanut butter, canned goods, macaroni and cheese and 50 turkeys. You may not be fortunate enough to live near a food pantry or a soup kitchen, but I’ve had the pleasure of volunteering at a couple of them in the past two years. It’s really marvelous to see how generous most of our citizens are. They are truly their brother’s and sister’s keeper. They are angels in our midst.

There are lots of great people in the world – We don’t hear about them enough!

I just got home from spending a few hours volunteering at the Catholic Charities Food Pantry in Franklinville, New York. Earlier this week, Paul Goodhand, local director of the pantry called and asked if I could volunteer today. I got to the pantry about 9:15 am and was greeted by many other volunteers all of whom come from our community and the surrounding towns. At 9:30 am the doors of the pantry opened and the clients who had signed up for a turkey and a box of groceries which included squash, apples, and other vegetables and canned good began to arrive. My job was to help carry these items to their cars or their apartments for those who lived nearby. I was very moved as we filled these orders and helped to bring a bright spot to the lives of those less fortunate.

We distributed fifty turkeys today and also some large roasting chickens along with boxes of fresh vegetables and canned pumpkin and more. One of the staff told me that the West Valley Demonstration Project had donated a total of three-hundred-sixty turkeys and nine tons of groceries that made this possible to the Catholic Charities of Western New York. The money to provide this wonderul gift came from a fund raiser at their work-site. This is a great story of compassion and empathy for the poor and less fortunate.