Living Well 60+ November – December 2014 | Page 10

10

NOV/DEC 2014

God’s Pantry:

More Than a Food Bank
Organization also supplies food to
member agencies
by Martha Evans
Sparks, Staff
Writer

God’s Pantry
Food Bank is a link
between the people who have food
and organizations that are actually
feeding hungry people. In a recent
year, God’s Pantry Food Bank
distributed 26 million pounds of
food in its 50-county Central and
Eastern Kentucky service area. Last
year 16,000 volunteers donated
almost 50,000 hours to make it
happen.
God’s Pantry Food Bank distributes food directly from four
locations in Lexington each week

and serves about 2,000 families a
month. It has food storage warehouses in Lexington, Winchester,
London, and Prestonsburg. Current plans are to open a Morehead
warehouse early in 2015. By far its
biggest service is supplying food to
its 400 nonprofit food bank member agencies. These are the soup
kitchens, senior centers, daycare
facilities, shelters for low-income
youth and other agencies to which
the hungry turn for help.
Marian F. Guinn, God’s Pantry
Food Bank CEO, says the Thanksgiving program is the largest in
Fayette County. God’s Pantry
Food Bank expects to distribute
the makings for a Thanksgiving

meal to 450 to 500 households in
began in 1955 when a concerned
2014. “Each gift includes a turkey
Lexingtonian, Mim Hunt, began
and some fresh produce, along
distributing food out of the basewith a box of grocery items like
ment of her home and the trunk
fruit gelatin, gravy, and everything
of her car. It now serves more than
needed to create a Thanksgiving
195,000 individuals annually in
meal.” Guinn said. “Our feeling is
its service area, impacting about
this truly American holiday meal
75 percent of the people in need.
should be celebrated in your own
Guinn says some 252,000 persons
home with people you care about.
are “food insecure,” noting that
Our intention is to provide all the
senior citizens and children are disgrocery items people need to creproportionately affected by hunger.
ate that meal.”
“We are working hard to bridge
For $40, you can sponsor one
the gap and meet the needs of the
Thanksgiving celebration for a
other 25 percent,” she said.
family. God’s Pantry Food Bank
Volunteer opportunities at God’s
donors get “a big bang for their
Pantry Food Bank’s Lexington
buck,” Guinn says. “A $10 donawarehouse are available on Tuestion turns into $100 worth of
day and Thursday evenings and all
food because of the way we source
day on Saturday, but you do need
food,” she said. “The vast majority
to register for a shift by going to
[of our food] comes from growers
the Website, www.godspantryand producers. One-third is fresh
foodbank.org.
produce. One-third comes from
To donate, make checks payable
the U.S. government and the other to God’s Pantry Food Bank. The
third comes from food producers
main office is at 1685 Jaggie Fox
like ConAgra, Kraft, and others.
Way, Lexington, KY 40511. For
Kroger is an important partner.”
more information, call (859) 255God’s [