The hearts and appetites of over 200 people in the community will be full of love and satisfied this holiday season thanks to Heart to Heart Food Pantry’s holiday meal giveaways. The food pantry held a meal giveaway at Thanksgiving and again just in time for Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 18.
Volunteers from Lynnville’s Heart of Worship church organize and operate Heart to Heart Food Pantry. Following a successful Thanksgiving meal giveaway where they provided 18 families with complete meals, organizers set their goal of helping families in need even higher for Christmas. On Saturday, a team of volunteers led by Rhonda Pool packaged 27 boxes of various food items. Combined with the Thanksgiving giveaway, over 200 people will have been blessed over the holidays.
Each Christmas box contained a choice of ham or turkey, potatoes and gravy, stuffing mix, items for green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, corn, carrots, a pound of butter, rolls, fresh pies, whipped topping, and a box of chocolate-covered cherries. The boxes were prepped and packaged by Pool and her team of devoted volunteers, and picked up or delivered.
Pool, along with volunteer Jill German, shopped for much of the food for the holiday meal boxes during two shopping trips at Grinnell Walmart. Pool said strangers at the store, when learning of the holiday meal giveaway after commenting on the volunteers’ overflowing carts, were moved by the mission and donated money on the spot. Pool recalls a recent shopping trip where over $700 was spent on food for the holiday boxes. She returned home to find a check for nearly the exact amount was given to the pantry by a generous donor. A significant amount of non-perishable food items are also donated by the community as Pool said the pantry continues to accept non-perishable donations for its Pay It Forward building located in Lynnville.
“This community has extended its hand and heart for our little non-government-sponsored food pantry. The money and supplies continue to come in. God is good,” said Pool.
