Friendship House News.

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Vol. 3 Issue 5 June 2023

Filling the Food Pantry

The Food Pantry saw the highest number of visits in June since we’ve been keeping track. Increased food insecurity due to rising prices and fewer benefits, is a national trend seen in large communities and small towns like Middlesex. The Friendship House team has been closely monitoring these trends and developing plans to continue to provide for the families visiting us for food.

The Food Pantry inventory is planned and evaluated based on the visit trend. With food grants, food items are purchased from FoodLink. Even so, recent increased need has exhausted the last food grant leaving us to search locally for good deals to stock the shelves; an expensive task. The new grant cycle begins this week and will enable the Food Pantry to purchase 6 tons of food staples per month in addition to the donations from Wegmans and Walmart.

Food donations from Wegmans and Walmart are a great help and add to the purchased food available for families in the pantry. The Food Pantry team makes trips to Canandaigua and Geneva most days of the week to pick up the donated items.

The funds used for the purchase of food needed for the pantry come from two main sources. The Friendship House Thrift Shop proceeds serve to support the Food Pantry. As visits to the Pantry have grown, fortunately the sales in the Thrift Shop have increased. Special sales, good organization of merchandise and amazing prices have helped to bring customers back again and again. The teamwork between the Thrift Shop and Food Pantry managers works to the great benefit of people needing food.

The second source of funds for the purchase of food is from donations. The Middlesex and surrounding communities have been consistently generous. Donations come to Friendship House from individuals, clubs, and church groups. Some donations are small, some come monthly and others are larger. We are immensely grateful for each and every one of them as it helps us keep the pantry stocked and our doors open.

Everyone at Friendship House is focused on making food available for families who need it. We may have lines some days, other days there may not be the exact foods you’re looking for but, we’re listening, planning and working together for you.

Many thanks to Craig Carr, Pantry Manager for the details on the Food Pantry efforts.

Driveway Changes

There will be a new driveway pattern coming soon to Friendship House. Both the Thrift Shop and the Food Pantry are seeing more visitors - on average 75 - 90 people on any given day. With more visits comes more traffic and the safety of everyone is important. This month, the driveway around Friendship House will become one-way only.

The entrance and exit will be labeled and we urge everyone to follow the new route. Please also be aware that our neighbor’s driveways should not be used to exit the parking area. Proceed slowly around our driveway and parking areas, be on the lookout for volunteers, customers, children, and even horse and buggy teams. We appreciate your caution!

Our Team

Friendship House is overseen by a Board of Directors, the Food Pantry Manager and the Thrift Shop Manager. These eight individuals are dedicated to keep the organization on track and running smoothly. Learn more about them and the work they do by visiting our website: www.friendshiphousemiddlesex.com/our-team.

Would you like to send a message to the Board of Directors? You can reach them at: directors@friendshiphousemiddlesex.com

Food Pantry Lines

“Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.”

If you visit the Food Pantry near opening time, you know that lines are common - at least in the first hour the Pantry is open. Behind the scenes, the volunteers arrive hours before the Friendship House doors open because there is a lot to accomplish. Shelves need to be stocked, areas are cleaned, inventory items are counted, arranged and stored, and any needed maintenance will be finished.

Once the doors open, numbers are handed out to those waiting with preference given to anyone who is elderly or disabled. The numbers help us manage the traffic in the Pantry so each family has the opportunity to pick up the food they need. There’s no need to wait in line once a number has been given.

The Food Pantry is stocked with food needed for a healthy diet. Fresh breads, bakery items and packaged meals that have been donated (Wegmans and Walmart) are stocked throughout the open hours of the pantry so everyone visiting will have the opportunity to take advantage of these items - not just those who arrive early.

We apologize if you’ve had to wait in line to come to the Food Pantry. We’re doing our very best to make the process easy, convenient and equitable for everyone who visits. We thank you for your patience and understanding and request that kindness and respect to each other be the priority.

Take What Your Family Needs

There may be nothing more disappointing than when someone makes a trip to the Bread Shed and there is nothing left. The volunteers stock the Bread Shed daily with fresh food, vegetables and breads. Our goal is to keep the Bread Shed stocked as we receive food donations to give people access to food when we are closed.

The Bread Shed is not meant to replace visits to the pantry for a nutritionally balanced selection of groceries or to meet your food needs for the entire week. We ask that if you’re visiting the Bread Shed, please take what you need for your own family. If there’s plenty of a tasty item, that means more families can enjoy it. Make sure there is something remaining for the next family that needs to stop by.

Upcoming Specials

The Thrift Shop has a few specials coming up that you might be interested in. The specials are posted on Facebook and invoices are sent to the buyer’s email address. The buyer can complete the purchase with PayPal, a credit card or cash (stopping by the shop). Coming soon are a couple of new-in-box bookshelves and desks. Keep up with us on Facebook for the next “Special Post”.

Something New: Pick up your food and a recipe too.

We're trying something new in the pantry. If you visit the pantry, you know that some weeks we have a lot of certain foods. For example, recently we had loads of eggs! To go with the eggs, we had a couple printed recipes for people to take along with them.

Want to try something new? These recipes have just a few steps and most have around 5 ingredients. All are easy and free to pick up when you visit. Craig will check out what will be in the pantry for the coming week and name the main ingredient. Then, we'll put together one or two simple and easy recipes that highlight the chosen ingredient. . Check it out! There might be something you haven't tried yet and might like! All recipes are guaranteed to be easy!...and tasty!

Celebrate with Us

Do you have a birthday coming up? Did you know that you can create a fundraiser in honor of your birthday to benefit Friendship House?

If you’re a Facebook user, and want to support Friendship House, you can create a fundraiser for friends and family to make a donation in your name. Just click on the “Donate” button on our Facebook page. It couldn’t be easier! Every donation received buys food for the pantry.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Month

Question:

Does Friendship House receive grants and if so, how are they used?

Answer:

As a non-profit organization, Friendship House applies for grants to support the Food Pantry and occasionally is the recipient of a monetary grant. A grant can be unrestricted; meaning it can be used for any expenses or, more often it is a restricted grant. Restricted grants are awarded with a particular purpose and can only be used in that manner. Grants received specifically for food, can only be used for the purchase of food. Another example of a restricted grant was the one received last year from Foodlink which was specifically given to install a cold storage freezer for the Food Pantry. It is now operational and allows Friendship House to expand frozen food options for people visiting the pantry.

Yelp and NextDoor

Friendship House is now on Yelp and Nextdoor. Have you left a review yet? Are you a Nextdoor fan? You can find Friendship House on both sites now. More importantly, people who do not know us and are looking for a Food Pantry or Thrift Shop can find us too!