Cassville Food Pantry
offers extended hours, alternative gifts
November 26, 2020
Sheila Harris
As COVID-19 numbers increase in Barry County, so, too, does food insecurity, says Janet Mills, director of the Cassville Food Pantry. In an effort to provide food to more families, beginning December 3, the Cassville Food Pantry will be open on Thursdays from 3:15 until 6 p.m., according to Mills. The afternoon hours will be in addition to the pantry’s regular morning hours of 9 - 11:15 a.m., Monday through Thursday.
“Loss of jobs or mandatory time off work often affect people’s ability to buy food for their families,” Mills said. “We want people to know the food pantry is here to help. Because virtual schooling and employment transitions have made it difficult for some families to make it to the pantry during the morning, we are adding these one-day-a-week afternoon hours.”
Due to safety concerns associated with COVID-19, the Cassville Pantry made the difficult decision to cancel their popular annual fundraiser, the Tinsel Tea, this year. An event hosted by the Cassville United Methodist Church on the first Saturday of December for the past 17 years, the tea was a major source of funds for the pantry.
“Because the needs of the community are especially great this year, the pantry is urgently in need of funding, so instead of the Tinsel Tea, this year we are offering an alternative fund-raising opportunity,” Mills said. “With a donation to the pantry in the name of a person on the donor’s gift-shopping list, we will give (or mail) a beautiful Christmas gift card to donors, along with confirmation of their gift. In turn, donors can then send the card to a friend or family member stating that a donation was made to the Cassville Food Pantry in their name.
“With this alternative type of gift, the pantry will receive much-needed assistance and social-distancing can be safely practiced,” Mills added.
Donations can be delivered and gift cards picked up by dropping by the pantry’s new location at 800 West 10th Street or by calling to request that a card be mailed.
For more information about this alternative gift, or with questions about the food pantry’s services, please contact Janet Mills at 417-846-7871.
Sheila Harris
As COVID-19 numbers increase in Barry County, so, too, does food insecurity, says Janet Mills, director of the Cassville Food Pantry. In an effort to provide food to more families, beginning December 3, the Cassville Food Pantry will be open on Thursdays from 3:15 until 6 p.m., according to Mills. The afternoon hours will be in addition to the pantry’s regular morning hours of 9 - 11:15 a.m., Monday through Thursday.
“Loss of jobs or mandatory time off work often affect people’s ability to buy food for their families,” Mills said. “We want people to know the food pantry is here to help. Because virtual schooling and employment transitions have made it difficult for some families to make it to the pantry during the morning, we are adding these one-day-a-week afternoon hours.”
Due to safety concerns associated with COVID-19, the Cassville Pantry made the difficult decision to cancel their popular annual fundraiser, the Tinsel Tea, this year. An event hosted by the Cassville United Methodist Church on the first Saturday of December for the past 17 years, the tea was a major source of funds for the pantry.
“Because the needs of the community are especially great this year, the pantry is urgently in need of funding, so instead of the Tinsel Tea, this year we are offering an alternative fund-raising opportunity,” Mills said. “With a donation to the pantry in the name of a person on the donor’s gift-shopping list, we will give (or mail) a beautiful Christmas gift card to donors, along with confirmation of their gift. In turn, donors can then send the card to a friend or family member stating that a donation was made to the Cassville Food Pantry in their name.
“With this alternative type of gift, the pantry will receive much-needed assistance and social-distancing can be safely practiced,” Mills added.
Donations can be delivered and gift cards picked up by dropping by the pantry’s new location at 800 West 10th Street or by calling to request that a card be mailed.
For more information about this alternative gift, or with questions about the food pantry’s services, please contact Janet Mills at 417-846-7871.
Above, stocking the pantry, left to right, are: Tiffany Miner, Russell Diispenza, and Glenna Glueckert.