Thank you to Fenns and a host of hardworking volunteers

Amid ongoing concerning and ever-confusing news regarding cuts to social programs just about everywhere you look, and the mounting dread that our neighbors and friends may be experiencing more hunger and hardship in the days to come, there has emerged a shimmering silver lining in our town, which is the beautifully renovated space at the Charlotte Food Shelf — brought to you by Peter and Carrie Fenn and a host of bighearted, hardworking volunteers.

Yes, while some were visiting museums in nearby cities or sunning themselves on tropical beaches, a blessed few took the recent weeklong spring break to create something truly noteworthy and important for our town.

As most know, the Charlotte Food Shelf has been operating out of the basement of the Charlotte Congregational Church since 1994, and we would be remiss not to thank the church again (and again) for their ongoing and consistent support, not to mention their generosity and patience in allowing us to expand and renovate the basement area. A special shout out to Rev. Kevin Goldenbogen, senior pastor, and Rev. Hadley Bunting, associate pastor for families, children and youth, for their support for this project.

Bunting and the church youth group did a great job consolidating the church’s portion of the basement, hauling away old stuff and building shelves to better organize their storage capacity, to enable the food shelf to expand in the downstairs space. Seven members of the Senior High Youth Group participated, and we thank them one and all.

Once the food shelf area was emptied of bins, boxes and other items, Peter and Carrie Fenn came in and, rather like Thing One and Thing Two in “The Cat and the Hat,” worked a miracle. They tore down shelving and metal hook panels, removed obsolete equipment (including a heavy table which had to be cut in half to be budged) and painted the once-orange walls with a fresh coat of white paint. All their labor was donated, and we can’t thank them enough. When asked to comment on their part in the project, Peter remarked, “You can just say we were happy to help out. A lot of others do much more.”

After the space was cleaned up, spruced up, renovated and painted, brand new sparkling wire shelving and brightly colored plastic bins were brought in and set up, paid for by a generous grant from the Vermont Foodbank. (Thank you!)

So, thanks to many, the place has a fresh, new, tidy, glittering, organized feeling which is quite extraordinary. Food shelf director Peggy Sharpe, who procured the food bank grant and organized the project from soup to nuts, said the new set up will really make a difference when people come to shop. There will be a new flow for how shoppers move through the space, and it will be much more efficient.

And if this all sounds like a lot, keep in mind that this renovation had to be begun and done within the week of April 18, because the childcare facility that operates out of the lower level of the church had to be closed to allow free access to doors and hallways.

“It was like solving a puzzle,” said Sharpe. “People worked hard all vacation week to get this done, and we are so appreciative.”

She added that many volunteers came together to make this renovation happen: those mentioned above and Champlain Valley Union students and regular volunteers, who worked hard to pack up and move the food both in and out of the basement area, along with all kinds of other labors necessary to get the project up and running.

Along with all who helped with the renovation, we extend thanks to Jim and Mary Ellen Hebert for their gift in memory of Merry Eleanor Converse and Jocelyn Schermerhorn, Richard Mintzer, John Henry Siedlecki, Susan Raber Bray, Cecily Stokes-Prindle, Kathleen Nolan, the Tiller family, Janice Rossetti, William Hella and Judith Hill, James Sharpe, Lynn and Greg Cluff, Michael and Janet Yantachka, Willem Leenstra and Dorothy Schmitt, Kathleen Bushey, Sustainable Charlotte and those attending the Repair Café, and Ed Sulva and the Northfield Savings Bank. Also, thanks to Robert and Kathleen Finn for the knit baby caps and to the St. George family for the fresh eggs. And for all who have given time and donations whose names we have failed to mention here, we thank you one and all.

Our schedule:

• Wednesdays 4-6 p.m. and Saturdays 9-11 a.m. (second and fourth of the month, unless otherwise noted)
• Wednesday, May 14 and 28
• Saturday, May 17 and 31

For applications for grant assistance, forms are available at the food shelf and on the website. Applicants must reside in Charlotte or North Ferrisburgh.

If you would like to donate to the Charlotte Food Shelf, you can use your PayPal account or your credit or debit card. If you prefer to donate via check, you can make checks payable to Charlotte Food Shelf, Inc. and mail to: P.O. Box 83, Charlotte, VT 05445. For more information, call 802-425-2402.

A convenient way to support the food shelf is to sign up for monthly donations through PayPal, which will allow you to spread your donations out over the year.

The Charlotte Food Shelf is a nonprofit tax-exempt organization. Gifts are tax deductible within the guidelines. You can also contribute by going to the website.

Also, for you gardeners out there: When you are planting your vegetable garden this year, think about putting in an extra row or two for the food shelf.