Our Place employees cooked and served 423 breakfasts and 708 lunches in our dining room last month to our guests. Our chef, Matt Gowell, is very resourceful in making delicious, healthy meals from the donated food that we have on hand in our pantry; for example lunch may be a nutritious minestrone soup or lemon chicken with Italian vegetables and pasta. The lunch we serve at Our Place always includes a fresh vegetable, salad and fruit. We are able to serve these high quality, nutritious meals thanks to the continued support from  caring donors like you. In November, we were able to offer turkeys for many families to cook at home and there were more than 75 guests with us for a Thanksgiving meal on November 22 and 81 people enjoyed our Christmas holiday luncheon that included ham, turkey, scalloped potatoes and Matt’s famous vegetable lasagna.

The board, staff and guests of Our Place are very thankful for all of the support we receive from members of our local churches, businesses and the many individuals in our community who provide ongoing support for the work we do every day. Your generosity makes it all possible—thank you.

• A Drop-In Center for people who need shelter during the day, a telephone, fax and computer to use for local or long-distance communications, and a shower and rest room for personal care.
• A dining room where people enjoy healthy, delicious hot meals and a safe place to socialize with other people in the community.
• A Food Pantry that is set up like a small grocery store and provides a choice of foods from the main food categories: grains, proteins, vegetables, fruits (including 100% fruit juice); miscellaneous shelves with items such as salad dressing, salsa and muffin mixes; and personal care items. There is also a baby food section that we keep fully stocked with jars of baby food, formula and some sizes of diapers.

In our food pantry we serve a diverse population including senior citizens, people who have lost their jobs, disabled head of households, and many young families with children and who are working for low-wages and limited hours or who are unemployed. Even though individuals or families may receive 3 Squares VT benefits, the money is not enough to feed themselves or their families for the entire month. Many senior citizens, young families and others in our community eat meals with us a few times every week.

Wholesome foods including fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grain breads are provided to people in the communities we serve; this include Athens, Bellows Falls, Cambridgeport, Rockingham, Saxtons River, Walpole, North Walpole and Westminster. By supplying free meals and groceries and a welcoming place to eat and socialize, we are helping people nourish themselves and their families and enabling them to have more money for other necessities such as housing, car expenses, and medicine.

In addition to providing food to nourish members of our community, we offer a safe, welcoming place where people can just sit and relax or converse with other guests. Sharing meals is an enjoyable experience that also nourishes the spirit – we see people helping each other in many ways.

We welcome donations of food or money and believe in the philosophy that every little bit helps and every contribution matters.

As we gather with friends and family to celebrate this holiday season, we have many things to be thankful for. The board and staff of Our Place are thankful for the hundreds of donors who provide food and money to keep our food shelf full and our kitchen stocked so that we can feed our neighbors in need. We were able to distribute more than 75 turkeys for people to enjoy in their homes on Thanksgiving, as well as host a wonderful turkey dinner for more than 70 guests in our dining room before the holiday.

During these unsettling economic times, many more people in our community are turning to Our Place for help in obtaining enough nutritious food to keep themselves and their families healthy.  As an example, by October 12th of this year, Our Place had already served the same number of meals that were served during all of 2009. We are now serving between 750 and 850 meals a month, and the number keeps growing. So far in 2010, Our Place has provided free groceries, including hundreds of pounds of fresh produce, to 1,991 adults and 1,416 children. This winter, we are again extending our hours to be open Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm to meet the needs of the guests staying at the Greater Falls Warming Shelter.

Our Place has received a $5,000 Challenge Grant from the Thomas Thompson Trust, which will help us upgrade our kitchen refrigeration and cooking equipment. Every dollar you donate to Our Place during our holiday appeal will help us meet the challenge.

Please contribute what you can — and know that Our Place will be here for all our neighbors and families in need of food and companionship as long as we have the support of people like you. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to volunteer.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season.

WISH LIST – Sept 2010

* GARLIC & ONIONS FOR KITCHEN!!!

* CANNED FRUITS & VEGETABLES!!! (Pears, fruit cocktail, applesauce, carrots, mixed veggies, corn)

* 100% FRUIT JUICE

* PASTA & SPAGHETTI SAUCE

* CANNED OR PACKAGED TUNA

* CONDIMENTS (ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, marinade, etc)

* PEANUT BUTTER

* SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER

* TOILET PAPER & #2 and #3 DIAPERS

* TAMPONS

You can drop off your donations any time between 9 and 4 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Board Member Nancy Sargent in Action

It’s that time of year again — FIESTA time!!!   Mark your calendars, please!

Thursday, September 16th from 5-7 p.m. at Our Place / 4 Island Street / Bellows Falls

The 2nd Annual Our Place fiesta is our chance to thank our very generous volunteers, donors, and new stewards and formally launch the important Project Feed the Thousands food drive.

Matt, the Our Place cook, plans to grill wings and corn on the cob and we’ll complement that with all kinds of healthy munchies and sides.   Harvest Moon will be there with a cash bar.

Here’s a shot of Board Member and Development Committee Chair Nancy Sargent staffing the Our Place gazebo at a recent community event.

Hope to see you at Our Place on Sept 16th.   Please RSVP at 463-2217.

Check out our new banner, now hanging in The Square to thank all of you who are so generous to Our Place.

Please plan on coming to the 2nd Annual Our Place fiesta – scheduled for Thursday, September 16th from 5-7 p.m.

Please note that Our Place will be closed next week.  Please feel free to stop by this week to get information on the various community meals served in the area — and to pick up groceries.   Call 463-2217.

AND we’ll have 50-50 raffle tickets available!    The drawing will be at the 2nd Annual Our Place Fiesta being held this year at Boccelli’s On the Canal the eve of Thursday, September 16th.

Please take a minute to become a fan of Our Place on Facebook!

Thank you!

Nan

1.   Mark your calendars —>   September 16th (2nd annual Our Place fiesta at Boccelli’s) & November 7th (always sold-out Empty Bowl dinner at Alysson’s Orchard)

2.  Welcome Center hospitality fundraiser -–>  Thanks to Grafton Cheese Company, Vermont Country Store, Drew’s Natural, the Vermont Foodbank, Dutton’s Farmstand, Allen Brothers, Discount Food Warehouse, and Mr. G’s for donations of food that permitted Our Place to welcome travelers into our beautiful state with quite the spread of Vermont-made food products.   We also met our fundraising goal of $750.

3. New Stewardship Initiative —> In July, Our Place is unveiling a new initiative making it easier for people to team up with family, friend, or colleagues to serve as Our Place Stewards.   Stay tuned!

4.  Farmers Market —> Our Place will be collecting locally produced food at the Bellows Falls Farmers Market two Fridays per month beginning in July.   Please be sure to stop by our colorful gazebo, say ‘hello’ and pick up a copy of our cook’s wishlist and a shopping bag to drop in our food collection bin on your way out.   We LOVE supporting local growers and food producers in this way!!!!    Win-win-win!!!!

5.  50-50 Raffle - Each year, Our Place raises $2500 through the sale of raffle tickets.   Tickets are $20 each and only 250 will be sold between now and September 16th when the winning tickets will be drawn at the Fiesta.  50-50 is a bit of a misnomer in that you actually have five chances to win — 1st prize = $1000, 2nd & 3rd prizes = $500, and 4th & 5th = $250.   Improve your chances by buying more than one!     Tickets are available from any Board member, at the gazebo wherever you see it set up this summer, and at the center Monday-Friday.

That’s it for now!    Again, thank you for your support!!!!