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

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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/.

 

Dine Out for Charity

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SedonaSedona Taphouse Fredericksburg has selected The Table at St. George’s for their October “Dine Out for Charity” program.

Every Monday in October, dine-in patrons can purchase a Black Angus flat iron steak or grilled salmon with a side for $8. Sedona Taphouse will donate $1 from every steak or salmon meal sold to The Table.

Thank you Sedona for your generous support!

 

C.A.R.E “The Power of Change” Grant Supports The Table at St. George’s

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

C.A.R.E “THE POWER OF CHANGE” GRANT SUPPORTS THE TABLE AT ST. GEORGE’S

The Table at St. George’s has been awarded The Power of Change grant from the Community Awareness of Rappahannock Electric Charity, Inc. (C.A.R.E.).

Fredericksburg, VA: The Community Awareness of Rappahannock Electric Charity, Inc. (C.A.R.E.) has awarded $5,200 to The Table at St. George’s, a Partner Agency of the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank. “The Power of Change” grant will be used to add fruit to The Table’s weekly produce offering.
The Table at St. George’s is a market style, produce centered pantry. They provide groceries to 150 – 200 families a week—the vast majority of whom are working families experiencing a period of financial crisis. The Table relies on the generosity of local businesses, individuals, and grant funds to feed our community.
“This grant will impact our community on a weekly basis,” noted The Rev. Deacon Carey Dougherty Connors, Director of Outreach Ministries at St. George’s Episcopal Church. “Fresh fruit is not always easy for us to provide. This funding will help ensure we can give apples, oranges, and bananas to those least able to afford them, improving the health of our entire community.”
Partner of the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank.

ABOUT THE POWER OF CHANGE
The Power of Change receives its funding from REC members who volunteer to have their electric bill rounded-up to the next highest whole dollar. If Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) provides your power, we ask that you consider supporting The Power of Chance to help others in need. Once enrolled, the extra change from your electric bill will be dedicated to charitable causes. Members can sign up by visiting REC’s website (www.thepowerofchange.org) or by calling 800-552-3904. The average member contribution is approximately $6.00 per year and is tax deductible. An annual statement of your charitable contribution will be mailed to you.

ABOUT ST. GEORGE’S
St. George’s Episcopal Church (www.stgeorgesepiscopal.net) is an historic church in Fredericksburg, Va., whose congregation of more than 1,000 members live in neighborhoods all over the greater Fredericksburg area. We are a people committed to worshiping God, nurturing Christian community, and proclaiming the Gospel by working for justice and peace in the world. St. George’s is known in the broader community for superb music, broad educational programming for all ages, and outreach ministries to the city and beyond. Everyone is welcome at St. George’s regardless of race, nationality, sexual orientation or tradition.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Laurel E. Loch, Parish Administrator, St. George’s Episcopal Church,
laurel.loch@stgeorgesepiscopal.net or 540-373-4133.
The Rev. Deacon Carey Dougherty Connors, Director of Outreach,
St. George’s Episcopal Church, carey.connors@stgeorgesepiscopal.net or 540-373-4133.

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Table Talk: The Table Is Working!

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We love stories. This week at The Table, a young shopper who also attends our Community Dinners had just been to the doctor and was excited to share that since she started coming to The Table and getting fresh vegetables, she has lost 20 pounds and is no longer pre-diabetic. She has been an active participant in our cooking classes and is now sharing what she learned with her neighbors. Whenever I have any doubt about the impact we are making, a story comes along that tells me that we are getting the word out there. Another story: Wawa now offers roasted veggies in sandwiches! Guess they also heard that we were serving roasted veggies to shoppers!

Periodically, we wonder about the impact our Tuesdays have on neighbors of St. George’s with our sometimes long lines of people at odd hours and parking issues. Thursday, we received encouragement & support from a father who brings his young daughters to ballet school across the street. He had been so touched by seeing people coming out with bags of food that he went shopping and came in to the office with arms full of groceries and a gift card to purchase more. A positive reaction instead of a negative one. I love it!

Thanks to a lot of wonderful year-end gifts and recent Walmart grants, we are now fully funded for 2016. The beauty of this is that we can move forward with cooking classes and branch out to encourage more healthy living without worrying about whether we will be able to buy produce on a regular basis this year. God is good – Linda

Table Talk: Wow! Thanks! Help!

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by Linda Carter and the Rev. Carey Chirico, Deacon

Smiles, laughs, and lots of them! Who knew we had a rector who could juggle apples while saying the opening prayer or juggle plastic bags? The mood in the room went from the usual quiet, concerned one to a momentary respite from life’s troubles. Thank you, Joe, for bringing the gift of laughter to The Table.

Ann Lamott explains that there are three major types of prayer – “Wow, Thanks, Help.”

The Table regularly presents us with all three moments sometimes at the same time. This past Tuesday, we had a dad come in asking about baby food. As we worked on finding community resources, a young mother who regularly shops with us came up to Chris Cook and said she could help. She had some extra baby food at home from her small family and she would happily share. She ran home (with her children in tow) and returned with two bags of baby food to donate to this fellow shopper in need. The previous week, this same mom had felt terrible when her baby, hanging from a front carrier, had kicked out and knocked Tom Way’s coffee mug off a table and smashed it. She also returned with a new mug for Tom.

At the end of the night, just as the doors were being closed and tables put away, a small family of four came in asking for food. They were first-timers, and the mom and children were given a personal tour of the tables and invited to choose what they needed. The nine-year-old was mortified and would not look up from her phone as her mom tried to involve her in the choices available. Finally upon reaching the baking area, the mom broke down and sobbed. “It has been a long time since I have seen this much food,” she said.

The greatest words of comfort we could offer were powerful ones: “We will see you next week. Please come back and let us know how you are doing. We will be here waiting for you.”

Wow, Thanks, Help – all at the same time. The Table continues to transform us through the grace of Christ’s presence there. Thanks be to God.

We will celebrate and bless the cooling shed on Sunday, June 14, from 2-4 p.m. at the George St. courtyard. There will be refreshments, music by The Table’s own DJ Richard, a ribbon cutting and thank yous to all who made it possible. Who knows? Maybe we can convince Joe to show off some of his juggling talents with produce from the Flores Farm delivery. Kohlrabi, beets, fennel, Daikon radishes might be a challenge even for him!