Newsletter December, 2005

Churches are closing their food pantries and soup kitchens for lack of food and funds. Our warehouse is having a difficult time because we have not received our share of U.S.D.A. commodities for over one year. The department of agriculture has just now finished their report for the complaint we submited to them. The outcome was that we have the right to give U.S.D.A. commodities to faith based food pantries and soup kitchen that do not have a 501-c-3 determination letter. This was the way it has always been but the food bank which received the contract for commodities for Pasco County did not want to give us U.S.D.A. Commodities for faith based charities that did not have a 501-c-3 letter. This is now resolved, now we are waiting for our contract to receive U.S.D.A. Commodities from that food bank. In the mean time, hundreds of hungry people that rely on The Volunteer Way and our agencies for help are going without U.S.D.A. Commodities.

“IT’S ALL ABOUT FEEDING HUNGRY PEOPLE”

On the brighter side

When we had hurricanes hit the Florida area, The Volunteer Way Food Bank donated 80,000 pounds of food to help the victims. Then we partnered with United Way and had our tractor trailers pick up donated furniture from Saddlebrook Resort and donated that furniture to hurricane victims plus other charities in Pasco County.

When Katrina hit, we were there with diapers, depends, food, personal items, toilet paper and other paper goods. We filled one and a half trucks of the four trucks sent to Gulf Port, Mississippi.

The Volunteer Way is not just a food bank. We have many different outreaches to serve hurting people of our communities. We are there for all underserved people of Florida. These are troubled times with all the natural disasters happening. Charities should be working together for the betterment of all people, “that’s why they call them charities”.

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