Project FEED is a food pantry which resides in the basement of Woodfords UCC Church. Clients get emergency food every three months once they have a referral from a social service agency. The pantry is open every afternoon from 1 to 3 and "yes" the number of clients is up -- by at least 25% within the last year.
Members of our church bring non-perishable food 
each week and place it in the red cart in the foyer, provided by Hilda and Don Nicoll, long time supporters of the pantry.Many of our members work at the pantry: delivering the food, restocking the shelves, working in the afternoons serving the clients, buying food and supplies for the pantry and serving on the Board.
An average week sees over 45 clients with family sizes from 1 - 8 come to the pantry. That has meant that around 120 paper and plastic bags were used each week to hold all of their groceries.
One day a client couple arrived with their own reusable bags. This was inspiration for our summer 2009 Share the Plate contribution, which was used to provide many clients with such a bag. When the client receives the bag, he or she is encouraged to use it for purchases and also urged to bring the bag back, if and when they return to the pantry. Through our Share the Plate we are helping people with their food needs and the environment by saving many paper and plastic bags. The pantry’s ultimate goal is a complete turnover to reusable bags.
In the spring of 2010 congregational members brought their food contributions in a reusable bag, which was part of their contribution to the pantry and its clients. This action took place on the Sunday closest to Earth Day. As a consequence we contributed 96 full reusable bags of food to the pantry.
For more information on how you can participate, please contact the Chair of Project Feed. And, please visit Project Feed at http://www.projectfeed.me/index.htm.
