Honest Abe's Root Beer Float Stand

If you didn't make it to this year's Pippenfest in Fairfield, you missed out on the best root beer floats around.  Once again, Battersby's Law Office sponsored Honest Abe's Root Beer Float Stand.  Turn out was fantastic and ALL proceeds from the sale of root beer floats is donated to the Fairfield Area Food Pantry.  Thank you to everyone who coordinated the event, volunteered to make root beer floats and to those who purchased a delicious root beer float.  It truly brought back memories of the good old days as the root beer was poured from a tap.....yummy!  Here are some pictures:

Fairfield High School Senior Project

Taylor Naugle, a senior at Fairfield High School chose the Fairfield Area Food Pantry as her community service senior project.  The end of the school year is fast approaching, so Taylor presented a summary of the work she has done to the congregation at Fairfield Mennonite Church on Sunday, April 12.  Taylor organized a fundraiser which raised over $400.00 for the Food Pantry.  She also organized a food drive with over 500 items being donated.  Taylor also has donated over 50 hours of her time to working at the Food Pantry (even though the school only requires 30 hours).  Thank you so much Taylor!!!!

                                                       Pastor Brenda, Taylor and Dot

Our "pick from" table

One of the  things we like to do for our pantry clients is have a section we call our "pick from" table.  Every client gets a specified amount of food that is packed ahead of time, but then there are extra items we like to provide, when possible.  For instance, there are always eggs, bread and desserts.  Sometimes we even have frozen pizzas!  However, the "pick from" table contains those extras which make life so much nicer, things like pickles, olives, ketchup, mustard, cooking sauces, jams and jellies, paper products, dish washing detergent, laundry detergent, hot chocolate, etc.

We purchase the bulk of our food from the Central Pa. Food Bank, but the good people from the Fairfield Area also donate a lot of canned and packaged products.  For those of you who want to donate specific products, we invite you to think about our pick from table when you do so. 

Spring is coming! Promise!

It may be bitter cold this week as we pack for our February Food Pantry distribution, but our hearts are warm and spring is coming.  Our next distribution will feature "goodies" for Easter.  Miss Dot, our pantry director, is requesting pineapple to go with the hams we'll be distributing, plus cake mixes and frosting mix or the making for pies:  pie fillings, boxed or prepared crust mix. 

When we pack, Miss Dot makes sure everyone gets enough for a week's worth of well rounded meals.  She is very concerned about good nutrition.  However, she also like to have enough non-essentials from our "pick froms" that our clients can do a bit of choosing other items such as toilet paper, shampoo, chocolate chips, pickles, jams, olives, etc.  Thanks to the Giant and other local stores we are able to ensure clients with at least one bread and dessert.  Main St. Grocery here in Fairfield often donates milk or "sodas" and King's New York sometimes donates pizzas.  Area churches and the local school do drives to ensure that our pantry is well stocked.  Local growers such as Rice Orchards donate apples or other produce in season. 

For newcomers to the area, our Fairfield Community Food Pantry is generously supported by the churches and citizens of the Fairfield/Orrtanna area.  Our pantry is one of eight overseen by SCCAP (South Central Community Action Programs) and ordering from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is done through SCCAP.  Those living within the Fairfield School District or folks having a Cashtown or Orrtanna address are eligible to use the Fairfield Pantry.  There is one distribution each month:  the 3rd Friday of the month from 1 to 5 pm.  Others outside of our area should contact SCAAP to find out which of the 8 county pantries serves them.