Submitted by: Peggy McKelly
The Ladies of Charity Calvert County hold an on-site pantry event at the North Beach Senior Center Apartments once a month. We found that some of our clients who lived at the apartment complex had great difficulty getting to the pantry and bringing groceries home afterwards. Our Pantry Manager, Barbara Glover, came up with the idea of taking the pantry to the clients instead. The manager of the apartments worked with us to set up space in the common area with tables where we could organize the types of groceries to choose from, and to set up a monthly schedule, and menu of grocery items. Our volunteers meet at the Food Pantry, load up cars with the groceries, drive a few blocks to the apartments, unload the groceries and set up the food on the tables.
At the mini market, we are able to provide fresh produce, meat, canned vegetables and fruit, cereal, pasta, peanut butter and bread. For the first year, we were able to hold the mini market indoors. The apartment residents very much appreciated the mini market. We then extended the concept to deliver our holiday baskets directly to the apartment residents, with the help of the Girl Scouts.
After COVID we moved the mini market to a large covered porch on the front of the apartment building. So far the weather has been mild to hot. With COVID extending through the winter months, we will have to bundle up!