St. George's Episcopal Church

Give Online
You are here: Home / Archives for Table Talk

Table Talk

Support the Table: Giving Tuesday – December 2

by Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year again when The Table at St George’s participates in GivingTuesday, a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and you! On Tuesday, December 2, you will have the chance to make a difference in our community by helping to ensure everyone has access to nutritious food and nourishing community! The Table at St. George’s operates every Tuesday in Market Square distributing farm fresh produce alongside gleaned breads, proteins, and snacks free of charge. Truly a place where the friendships formed sustain as much as the produce, this free farmers market has become a staple (and necessity) for the wider community. Support this work by giving this #GivingTuesday!

Ways to Donate:

Donate online.

  • Select “The Table” in the fund dropdown menu
  • Enter your donation amount
  • Complete payment information
  • Click submit

Facebook

  • click the blue “donate” button

Text Message:

  • Text “Funds” to 540.701.4133
  • Tap reply message to choose fund
  • Choose “The Table”
  • Enter your donation amount
  • Complete payment information
  • Submit

You can also stop by our Donation Station on December 2 from 10 am – 1 pm in Market Square.

Checks should be payable to St. George’s with The Table in the memo line and mailed to the church (P.O. Box 7127 · Fredericksburg, VA 22404).

Thank you for your generosity and support!

Two Generous Grants Support The Table at St. George’s

by Leave a Comment

The_TableThe Honeywell Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation and Transurban Express Lanes Community Grant Program provide funds for fresh food purchases at local food pantry

Fredericksburg, Virginia (October 3, 2019) —Two generous grants from the Honeywell Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation and the Transurban Express Lanes Community Grant Program ensure The Table at St. George’s will have necessary funds to purchase fresh produce. The Table at St. George’s is a market-style food pantry that provides fresh produce and pantry items to those in the Fredericksburg region experiencing food security. The Table gratefully acknowledges the valued support of these grants.

The Honeywell Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region has provided financial support for the Table since 2013. Most recently, they have awarded The Table $15,000 in grant funding. The funds will help the food pantry provide food and fresh produce to those who rely on the weekly operation of The Table to supplement their nutritional needs.

The Table will also use a grant of $3,000 from the Transurban Express Lanes Community Grant Program for fresh produce purchases for The Table’s weekly food distribution.

Additionally, both grant awards will support the continued operation of The Table in the World. This special initiative delivers fresh produce during the growing season from June to October to seniors and the affordable housing community at five local sites. The Table in the World partners include Rappahannock Area Agency for Aging, doing business as Healthy Generations.

In 2018, The Table distributed more than 160,000 pounds of food, of which 43% was fresh produce. The weekly pop-up food distribution at historic St. George’s Episcopal Church in downtown Fredericksburg continues the congregation’s longstanding tradition of providing for those in need. The Table fosters not only better nutrition for those experiencing food insecurity, but a strong sense of community among the volunteers who serve and those being served, the shoppers of The Table.

Shoppers at The Table include the young and aged, the able-bodied and the physically challenged, the unemployed and many who are working one or two jobs but are unable to earn enough to adequately nourish their families. Food provided by The Table and other such food operations can make a significant difference in the amount of food available to the people of our community, many of whom receive food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The Table, operating since January 2012, is located in the church’s parish hall. Open every Tuesday from 9:30 – 11:00 in the morning and 5:00 – 6:30 in the evening, it serves hundreds of people from the city of Fredericksburg and surrounding counties, including Caroline, King George, Orange, Prince William, Spotsylvania, and Stafford.

The Table is grateful for the generosity of all who support its efforts to improve the lives of people living with food insecurity. More than 90% of funding for The Table comes from awards, donations, fundraisers, and grants. In-kind donations are provided by corporations and local businesses.

For more information, contact Laurel Loch at 540.373.4133 or laurel.loch@stgeorgesepiscopal.net.

To learn more about The Table and see a video on its operation, visit

https://www.stgeorgesepiscopal.net/outreach-and-mission/the-table-at-st-georges/.

 

I Came for the Food and Support

by Leave a Comment

What do you do when the children you raised come home with their children or just the grandchildren show up at your door?  Unfortunately, this is all too common these days.  Every week we hear stories of multi-generational families back in one home with only the grandparents’ Social Security as income while everyone looks for jobs.  We say – “Come to The Table every week for food.”  It doesn’t solve the problem, but it helps to take a bit of the burden off.  Yesterday, The Table had an abundance of frozen chicken, eggs, greens, onions, fruit & snacks.  I heard from one of our shoppers who is retired and provides dinner to two hungry grandchildren and one of their friends, that the onions and broth made a delicious crock pot onion soup served with donated French bread.  Today, the chicken, rice, and beans will make several more dinners – all at no additional cost to our shopper.  The other huge plus?  Snacks from the Food Bank, mandarin oranges and apples, and Wawa sandwiches.  Wendy made a Dr. Yum recipe using potatoes & lentils for tasting – another low cost, nutritious dish.

On Saturday, we packed 104 family meal bags to go out to Fredericksburg families in need thru the school system.  These bags contain the makings for a meal to feed four people along with juice boxes and granola snacks for children to take to school for snack time.  We are working together with other Micah churches and Stafford Food Security on this program.

One of my volunteers on Tuesday asked me where can people go for food on the weekend?  What if you end up in crisis mode on a Saturday with hungry children and no food?  I didn’t have an answer, but will ask that question on Monday when we meet with the Micah Food Pantry Forum and again on Wednesday at the Fredericksburg Food Action Forum.

Peace – Linda

Inclement Weather Reminder: The Table

by Leave a Comment

Looks as though we will escape the bad weather on Tuesday – just lots of rain!  Reminder – when the Fredericksburg City schools are delayed or closed for weather, The Table will be closed.  We  follow only the Fredericksburg schools, not Spotsylvania or Stafford.  St. George’s will post on Facebook and also post closings on Fredericksburg.com.  Wear your raincoat and we’ll see  you tomorrow!

–Linda

March 10, 12 – 2 pm: Help Pack Family Meal Bags!

by Leave a Comment

Tomorrow (Saturday, March 11) in Sydnor Hall from 12 – 2 pm, come help us pack 150 family meal bags for donation to Fredericksburg schools through a new program that the Micah Community churches are sponsoring along with Stafford Food Security.  The founder, Tim White, will be here to explain how the program works & why it is needed.  Stafford Food Security has a wonderful program that provides a bag with a meal for a family of four in Stafford, Spotsylvania, & Fredericksburg using the schools & police.

March 10 is a really busy day for St. George’s.  We wish safe travel to Carey & her 19-member contingency who are off at 7:15 am heading to snowy NYC for Youth in Global Ministry.  We have a farm delivery of greens at 10 am.  A donation of pb&j being rucksacked to us from Old Mill Park at 11. And then to top it all off – the Westminster Schola Cantorum arrives at 2:30 for a concert at 7:30 pm.

Come join the fun!!  Peace – Linda