Food Shelf News – April 16, 2020

The Food Shelf is now open every Wednesday evening from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for curbside service.

Charlotte Community Food Shelf and Assistance. Photo contributed.

John Vincent creates beautiful prints ranging in sizes from postcards to posters on letterpress with handset type at Revolutionary Press in New Haven, Vermont. Two of his creations seem especially apt for this month.

This comes from Gathering Moss by Robin Kimmerer.

Look in a certain way
and a whole
new world
can be
Revealed

And as we are still marveling at the appearance of moss on rocks recently covered with snow, we realize that tulips are next. Revolutionary Press offers a beautiful poster with some words from Thomas Merton, The Courage for Truth:

Up with the revolution of tulips. Tulips are not important, they are essential.
Yes, sing. Love and peace, silence, movement of planets.

And dandelions are also beginning to make their appearance. Here’s the beginning of a tribute by Vachel Lindsay, known as the founder of what he called “singing poetry” because he felt his poems were meant to be sung or chanted:

O dandelion, rich and haughty,
King of village flowers!
Each day is coronation time,
You have no humble hours….

Dandelion leaves, by the way, are a good addition to salad. Fanny Farmer suggests adding bacon. Alice Waters recommends shallots, fennel, small red radishes, and lemon zest. During the 19th century the dandelion root, roasted and ground, was used as a substitute for coffee.

Community
In this time of great stress, great need, great sacrifice, we are happy to offer one more report of great community, echoing Kimmerer, Merton and an old Sioux proverb that reminds us that “With all things and in all things, we are relatives.”

The Food Shelf sends out special thanks to people who have been helping with our distributions over the past few weeks.

Hadley Abernathy from the Charlotte Congregational Church has been signing up one or two church members each week to help the regular food shelf volunteers maintain the weekly distributions. Thank you to: Mark Gabel, Chris Hopwood, Glen Findholt, Adel and son Peter Holoch, Rachel Stein.

And, of course, thank you to our longtime distribution volunteers: Pat Rodar, Liz Deslauriers and daughter Noelle, John Lavine, Rosemary Raska and son Sam, Kelly Bothwell, and Cindy Tyler.

Thank you to Jonathan Couture for the hand sanitizer, to Katherine Stockman for the “Color My World” art kits for kids, and to Backdoor Bread for loaves of fresh bread baked from wheat grown right here in Charlotte.

We offer many thanks for generous financial contributions from Benjamin and Josephine Kaestner, Janet Morrison, Teresa and Richard Pete, Susan and Hans Ohanian, Lynn and Greg Cluff, Cynthia Marshal, Barry Finette and Sharon Mount, Susan and James Hyde, Tanya Kanigan, Stuart Lollis and Elizabeth Hunt, Meg Berlin, Kerry Pughe, Julia Gilbert and Nathan Cleveland, Remo and Donna Pizzagalli, Vermont Food Bank.

Keeping safe
The Food Shelf continues to take precautions to help everyone keep safe. Anyone who has a fever or cough—or symptoms that might seem like a cold—should not come to the distributions. Also, don’t come if you have been in contact with anyone who has these symptoms. Instead, call (802) 425-3252 and leave your name and number. You will receive a call back to come up with a plan. We need to help families and volunteers stay safe.

We are now open every Wednesday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. This is curbside service only. Cars pull up to a sign that says “Please wait in car.” A volunteer offers a checklist for patrons to select the items they need. A volunteer packs the items and then another volunteer carries the bags out, setting them beside the car.

Financial assistance
Reminder: The Food Shelf has some funds available for emergency assistance with fuel and electric bills. Contact Pat Rodar at (802) 425-3083 if you need assistance.

For emergency food call John at (802) 425-3130.

Donations
The Charlotte Food Shelf, Inc. is a nonprofit organization, and all donations are tax deductible. Our organization is run by volunteers, and so all donations made to the Food Shelf go directly for nutritious food for or assistance to our local neighbors in Charlotte and North Ferrisburgh. Should you wish to honor someone with a donation, a special acknowledgement will be sent to that person.

Checks may be mailed to Charlotte Food Shelf and Assistance, P.O. Box 83, Charlotte, VT 05445.

The Charlotte Food Shelf is located at the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry. Call the Food Shelf at (802) 425-3252 for a recording of the distribution times.