York County Food Closet
Grand Opening Celebration
November 3, 2013
Grand Opening Celebration
November 3, 2013
Opening Remarks by Susan Sallwasser
Good afternoon – and thank you for joining us today for the celebration of the grand opening of the new and improved York County Food Closet!
Deuteronomy 15:11 states “there will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhearted towards your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”
I look out at the audience today and see you who have opened your hearts to the hungry of York County and Poquoson. You have and will continue to make a difference in many lives; everyone deserves enough to eat, a basic need, and to be served with dignity and compassion. The mission statement of the Food Closet begins with the well-known verse from the book of Luke, chapter 10, simply “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The year 2013 is the 40th anniversary of the loving service provided by the Food Closet. Today begins a new chapter in our history.
Invocation by David Hampton
Recognition of Honored Guests by Susan Sallwasser
I’d like to take a few moments to introduce our honored guests. First on the list are those representing St Luke’s United Methodist Church, which has graciously housed the Food Closet for the past 30 years.
The new Food Closet became a part of St Luke’s building campaign through the vision and commitment and wonderful generosity of its members, led by Blair Ellis who served as the Pre-Construction Building Chairman, and George Leftwich who has had the extremely taxing job of construction building chairman and who showed only patience with my many questions. Chairman of the Church Council during this time of construction has been Tom Lyon. I simply do not have enough words to thank St Luke’s for building the new home for the Food Closet – thank you, thank you. Your caring hearts have provided the major support for this ministry through the years.
Construction had begun and I knew that furnishing the Food Closet was not part of the building plans and rightfully so. The subject had begun to prey on me. Then a phone call came to the church office one day while I was working in the Food Closet. Joyce Wilson came to get me, saying “I think you want to take this call”; it was Helmut Walter from the Yorktown Rotary Club, saying that their group was hoping to apply for a grant for a sustainable gift in the county and wondered if the Food Closet had any such needs. Oh my goodness! What a God-send! I told Helmut “I’ve got the project for you!” After I’d told him about our need for furnishings, which ended up including 14 shelving units, a desk and chair, filing cabinet, 2 folding tables, 18 waiting room chairs, and a hefty trashcan on wheels, he added that if possible, they’d also like some hands-on time with the project and wondered if it would be possible for them to perhaps assemble the shelving? “Oh yeah, I said, I think we can manage that…” So from that day on the phone, to trips to Costco and Home Depot, to assembling the shelving units, to helping with the move on Thursday to the new Food Closet, I could not have asked for better assistance than what they gave. They were willing and cheerful and helpful. Helmut Walter, who served as our liaison for the project, is here. Ed Jackson, their unit president, is in attendance, also Tracy Swartzendruber, who has the distinction of not only being a Rotarian, but also one of our Food Closet Volunteers – and there are probably others.
There’s a plaque in the waiting room of the Food Closet beginning with verse 31 of Proverbs 14 “…whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” It goes on to say “thank you to the members of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church for building this new home for the York County Food Closet and to the Yorktown Rotary Club for providing the furnishings.”
Next – it’s my pleasure to have 3 members of the York County Board of Supervisors here – Donald Wiggins who is vice-chairman of the group – along with Sharon Noll and George Hrichak – I think it is imperative for our government officials to be knowledgeable about volunteer organizations offering assistance to those less fortunate in our county and am indeed pleased with their show of interest. Thank you very much for coming today.
Our next honored guest is Cheryl Ferreira from York County-Poquoson Social Services. The Food Closet gives Social Services $2,000 per year plus stocking a small food pantry on their premises to help clients at times when we are not open. Cheryl has been our liaison there for many years and it’s always been a joy to serve with her.
Then I’d like to introduce one of the most special ladies I’ve ever known; in fact she has served as my mentor on numerous occasions – and that lady is Betty Brummer, who was instrumental in bringing the Food Closet to be housed at St. Luke’s in 1983 and who faithfully served as its Chairman for the next 19 years.
The Food Closet is under the umbrella of Church Women United of York County as a 501 (c)(3) organization and they were the ones who began this ministry in 1973. The current president of that organization is Nancy Wagner – thank you for joining us!
And last, but certainly not least, we’d like to honor two members of the Administrative Staff here at St Luke’s, without whom we simply could not manage and their support is always greatly appreciated – Joyce Wilson and Megan Collins.
One more note – they’re not listed as honored guests, but the 70 volunteers of the Food Closet are the backbone of our whole organization – they are the ones who carry out the mission.
Remarks by Susan Sallwasser
On this momentous occasion for the Food Closet, I’d like to give you a brief history of the organization. Some has already been alluded to. 40 years ago, York County-Poquoson Social Services saw a need in the county to provide food for the hungry and approached Church Women United of York County to see if they would be interested in the cause. A very special Seaford woman, Joan Quass, agreed to house the Food Closet in her garage; Social Services would call her when there was a need, she would deliver the food for the client to social services and that mode of operation lasted the first 10 years. In 1983, Betty Brummer approached her home church, St. Luke’s, to see if they would be willing to house the Food Closet. They agreed – little did they know what they’d be getting into 30 years later – and Betty became the chairman, along with treasurer and chief food stocker for a good part of the next 19 years. In the early years at St Lukes, the Food Closet was a quieter place; clients were allowed 3 visits per year and received whatever groceries happened to be on the shelves at the time of their visit. But the Food Closet grew in every dimension in every year until by the year 2000, close to 400 households were being assisted, and annual income had reached just over $30,000. By then, the Food Closet was buying some food items to augment donations and clients were being given a Food Lion gift card to help purchase the perishables we are still unable to provide.
I became chairman of the Food Closet in 2002, and the next decade of service brought many changes to the Food Closet. Client numbers increased, the number of client visits allowed increased, number of volunteers increased, and thankfully donations of food and money also increased. The economy, on the other hand, tanked. By 2011, our busiest year ever, we had an income of over $107,000 and spent $118,000 (that’s tricky) on groceries to keep the shelves stocked with items we like for each client to receive and on the Food Lion gift cards. We were helping clients 8 times per year, and served almost 1,000 households with 3,854 visits to the Food Closet. We had always been open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12:30 -3:00, but added an additional shift of Mondays from 4-6, to hopefully accommodate those with jobs. These shifts were covered by 75 caring volunteers. From helping maybe 3 clients per day in 2000, we were averaging 26 clients per day in 2011.
In the past 40 years, we have witnessed the love and compassion of many groups and individuals in this county to serve the hungry. While every gift we receive is important, it is worth noting that over half of our income comes from just two sources; the York County Volunteer Association which runs the Bargain Box on Dare Road and who does an immense amount of good in the county, gives us $30,000 per year, and members of St Luke’s United Methodist Church give over $20,000 – without the generosity of these two groups, the Food Closet could not function as it does. We also receive help from 25 other area churches, numerous organizations and businesses, and many school and scouting groups.
We have grown greatly since that humble beginning in a garage, but the mission has remained constant – “to love our neighbors as ourselves”. I think it is safe to say that Jesus’ command is being accomplished. And now with the opening of this brand new facility and with the leadership of Liz Bryant who became the chairman in July, we look to the future.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - Betty Brummer, Susan Sallwasser, Liz Bryant, Cindy Roche
Good afternoon – and thank you for joining us today for the celebration of the grand opening of the new and improved York County Food Closet!
Deuteronomy 15:11 states “there will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhearted towards your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”
I look out at the audience today and see you who have opened your hearts to the hungry of York County and Poquoson. You have and will continue to make a difference in many lives; everyone deserves enough to eat, a basic need, and to be served with dignity and compassion. The mission statement of the Food Closet begins with the well-known verse from the book of Luke, chapter 10, simply “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The year 2013 is the 40th anniversary of the loving service provided by the Food Closet. Today begins a new chapter in our history.
Invocation by David Hampton
Recognition of Honored Guests by Susan Sallwasser
I’d like to take a few moments to introduce our honored guests. First on the list are those representing St Luke’s United Methodist Church, which has graciously housed the Food Closet for the past 30 years.
The new Food Closet became a part of St Luke’s building campaign through the vision and commitment and wonderful generosity of its members, led by Blair Ellis who served as the Pre-Construction Building Chairman, and George Leftwich who has had the extremely taxing job of construction building chairman and who showed only patience with my many questions. Chairman of the Church Council during this time of construction has been Tom Lyon. I simply do not have enough words to thank St Luke’s for building the new home for the Food Closet – thank you, thank you. Your caring hearts have provided the major support for this ministry through the years.
Construction had begun and I knew that furnishing the Food Closet was not part of the building plans and rightfully so. The subject had begun to prey on me. Then a phone call came to the church office one day while I was working in the Food Closet. Joyce Wilson came to get me, saying “I think you want to take this call”; it was Helmut Walter from the Yorktown Rotary Club, saying that their group was hoping to apply for a grant for a sustainable gift in the county and wondered if the Food Closet had any such needs. Oh my goodness! What a God-send! I told Helmut “I’ve got the project for you!” After I’d told him about our need for furnishings, which ended up including 14 shelving units, a desk and chair, filing cabinet, 2 folding tables, 18 waiting room chairs, and a hefty trashcan on wheels, he added that if possible, they’d also like some hands-on time with the project and wondered if it would be possible for them to perhaps assemble the shelving? “Oh yeah, I said, I think we can manage that…” So from that day on the phone, to trips to Costco and Home Depot, to assembling the shelving units, to helping with the move on Thursday to the new Food Closet, I could not have asked for better assistance than what they gave. They were willing and cheerful and helpful. Helmut Walter, who served as our liaison for the project, is here. Ed Jackson, their unit president, is in attendance, also Tracy Swartzendruber, who has the distinction of not only being a Rotarian, but also one of our Food Closet Volunteers – and there are probably others.
There’s a plaque in the waiting room of the Food Closet beginning with verse 31 of Proverbs 14 “…whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” It goes on to say “thank you to the members of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church for building this new home for the York County Food Closet and to the Yorktown Rotary Club for providing the furnishings.”
Next – it’s my pleasure to have 3 members of the York County Board of Supervisors here – Donald Wiggins who is vice-chairman of the group – along with Sharon Noll and George Hrichak – I think it is imperative for our government officials to be knowledgeable about volunteer organizations offering assistance to those less fortunate in our county and am indeed pleased with their show of interest. Thank you very much for coming today.
Our next honored guest is Cheryl Ferreira from York County-Poquoson Social Services. The Food Closet gives Social Services $2,000 per year plus stocking a small food pantry on their premises to help clients at times when we are not open. Cheryl has been our liaison there for many years and it’s always been a joy to serve with her.
Then I’d like to introduce one of the most special ladies I’ve ever known; in fact she has served as my mentor on numerous occasions – and that lady is Betty Brummer, who was instrumental in bringing the Food Closet to be housed at St. Luke’s in 1983 and who faithfully served as its Chairman for the next 19 years.
The Food Closet is under the umbrella of Church Women United of York County as a 501 (c)(3) organization and they were the ones who began this ministry in 1973. The current president of that organization is Nancy Wagner – thank you for joining us!
And last, but certainly not least, we’d like to honor two members of the Administrative Staff here at St Luke’s, without whom we simply could not manage and their support is always greatly appreciated – Joyce Wilson and Megan Collins.
One more note – they’re not listed as honored guests, but the 70 volunteers of the Food Closet are the backbone of our whole organization – they are the ones who carry out the mission.
Remarks by Susan Sallwasser
On this momentous occasion for the Food Closet, I’d like to give you a brief history of the organization. Some has already been alluded to. 40 years ago, York County-Poquoson Social Services saw a need in the county to provide food for the hungry and approached Church Women United of York County to see if they would be interested in the cause. A very special Seaford woman, Joan Quass, agreed to house the Food Closet in her garage; Social Services would call her when there was a need, she would deliver the food for the client to social services and that mode of operation lasted the first 10 years. In 1983, Betty Brummer approached her home church, St. Luke’s, to see if they would be willing to house the Food Closet. They agreed – little did they know what they’d be getting into 30 years later – and Betty became the chairman, along with treasurer and chief food stocker for a good part of the next 19 years. In the early years at St Lukes, the Food Closet was a quieter place; clients were allowed 3 visits per year and received whatever groceries happened to be on the shelves at the time of their visit. But the Food Closet grew in every dimension in every year until by the year 2000, close to 400 households were being assisted, and annual income had reached just over $30,000. By then, the Food Closet was buying some food items to augment donations and clients were being given a Food Lion gift card to help purchase the perishables we are still unable to provide.
I became chairman of the Food Closet in 2002, and the next decade of service brought many changes to the Food Closet. Client numbers increased, the number of client visits allowed increased, number of volunteers increased, and thankfully donations of food and money also increased. The economy, on the other hand, tanked. By 2011, our busiest year ever, we had an income of over $107,000 and spent $118,000 (that’s tricky) on groceries to keep the shelves stocked with items we like for each client to receive and on the Food Lion gift cards. We were helping clients 8 times per year, and served almost 1,000 households with 3,854 visits to the Food Closet. We had always been open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12:30 -3:00, but added an additional shift of Mondays from 4-6, to hopefully accommodate those with jobs. These shifts were covered by 75 caring volunteers. From helping maybe 3 clients per day in 2000, we were averaging 26 clients per day in 2011.
In the past 40 years, we have witnessed the love and compassion of many groups and individuals in this county to serve the hungry. While every gift we receive is important, it is worth noting that over half of our income comes from just two sources; the York County Volunteer Association which runs the Bargain Box on Dare Road and who does an immense amount of good in the county, gives us $30,000 per year, and members of St Luke’s United Methodist Church give over $20,000 – without the generosity of these two groups, the Food Closet could not function as it does. We also receive help from 25 other area churches, numerous organizations and businesses, and many school and scouting groups.
We have grown greatly since that humble beginning in a garage, but the mission has remained constant – “to love our neighbors as ourselves”. I think it is safe to say that Jesus’ command is being accomplished. And now with the opening of this brand new facility and with the leadership of Liz Bryant who became the chairman in July, we look to the future.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony - Betty Brummer, Susan Sallwasser, Liz Bryant, Cindy Roche