Serving up Thanksgiving for all at the Food Pantry

For many a year, this author has enjoyed volunteering at the Rappahannock Food Pantry, as have hundreds of Rappahannockers. This Thanksgiving, sharing of our county bounty was, as always, an honor and a privilege.

The holidays are particularly special and all are humbled to help the less fortunate in our tight, close community filled with children in need. Rappannock is known for having a very high childhood poverty rate in the Piedmont. And there are seniors, and so many families, experiencing hardship.

Many have been there. I know I have.

Pantries in neighboring counties offer much, but we are different. Children are given lollipops, ice cream, stuffed animals, books and donated toys. When Tiny, an adorable pup shows up with his owners, he too enjoys great dog food, as do so many adored and beloved pets who are victims of poverty, myriad financial challenges and simply living in a county where housing is exorbitant, leaving the less affluent unable to survive or to live here.

Shopping is with carts inside, streaming down isles — not handed anonymous, pre-boxed goods.

Those with particular food needs — organic and gluten free — are catered to. Fish is saved for those who don’t eat meat. Plant-based sausage and meals are offered as well.

Families are treated with dignity and Pantry volunteers deliver to homes where mobility is a challenge; blind seniors, wheelchair patrons, disabilities are never an issue.

We share the bounty of our county and the generosity of neighboring food markets and farms, as well as our local farms, like Waterpenny and Sunnyside and Whippoorwill and more. Families are supplied with fresh vegetables and fruits, pastry and cake, milk and eggs and juices, meats and bread. Sustenance is offered aplenty here.

Mimi Forbes, longtime manager of the Pantry shares, “Yet again, this Thanksgiving is about sharing, it is a tribute to the hard work and generosity of an army of volunteers in Rappahannock, who support the Pantry and enable us to give out over 170 complete Thanksgiving dinners replete with turkeys and all the fixings.” In the wonderful words of a magical character, Tiny Tim, in awe of a holiday dinner with great heart and love says, “God Bless Us Every One.”