Thanksgiving at the Foodshelf was a success this year. We were able to offer more abundance and variety, and serve more people than any previous year. We distributed 125 Harvest Bags; each bag filled with produce and some fixings for Thanksgiving sides, a turkey, a pie or pie kit, and a $20 gift card to the Putney Co-op or Putney General Store to fill in any gaps. During our extended Open Hours (9-noon) we served approximately 92 drive-up customers. Also home deliveries were made, and Putney Central School families were served with a special Thursday distribution. In addition, over 150 Everyone Eats! prepared Thanksgiving meals were distributed in Putney on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, thanks to a collaboration with Putney Mutual Aid. We received great feedback from our shoppers about both programs.
Many thanks to the donors and volunteers who helped make this possible! Ordering, stocking, filling, and distributing 125 Harvest Bags was a huge undertaking, in addition to the almost 100 households we serve weekly during Open Hours and delivery.
Special thanks: Landmark College donated 25 pies, provided freezer storage for the turkeys, and colleagues Candace Brown and Tina LaFlam took care of the pickup and distribution of 100 turkeys. Alison Dougan, baker at The Putney School, gave us 60 of her freshly baked pumpkin pies, sponsored by Emerson’s Furniture and Shippee Auto. The Grammar School ran a food drive, collecting ingredients for over 30 pie kits. Ruby McAdoo put the finishing touches on the pie kits, adding recipes and making sure every kit had exactly what it needed. Also, new this year, Ruby created other Thanksgiving recipes to add to the Harvest Bags. We worked closely with the Putney General Store and the Putney Co-op to create specialized food-only gift cards, which were funded by an EFSP Cares grant.
A note of gratitude to share from a Harvest Bag delivery:
I just received an enormous bounty of Thanksgiving food which I was completely floored by!!!! Plus a gift certificate to the Putney Food Coop!!!! I can’t begin to describe how much this means to me except I am so very fortunate to live in this incredible community. Thank you one and all.