The Family Pantry of Cape Cod - October 2011 Newsletter Our name has changed  It is official! The Board of Directors recently voted to change our name to more accurately reflect who we are and what we do. Despite 22 years of serving all of Cape Cod many people referred to us as the Harwich Pantry and many did not realize that we serve people from every Town on the Cape and even a few from the other side of the bridge. In 2010 we served just under 8,000 people which is about 4% of the population of Barnstable. Business is booming We have experienced an 11% increase in pantry visits in the first 9 months of 2011 compared to 2010 which in of itself is significant. The numbers that have really caught our attention occurred in the past two months. In August we served 950 housholds and in September we served 1051 households which are 18% and 24% increases respectively over the same months last year. Yikes! And we are headed into what is traditionally is our busiest three months - October through December. I would guess many businesses would like to have that growth trend and we are fortunate to have the support of many businesses and individuals to help us serve those folks who need our help. If you would like to help you can donate online or by US mail to The Family Pantry, 133 Queen Anne Road, Harwich MA.      Volunteers Wanted Because of our growth we are looking to extend our hours. Currently we are open as follows: Tuesdays 10-12 & 1:30 -3:30  Thursdays 10-12 & 1:30 -3:30 & 5-7PM Saturdays  10-12 After much thought we have decided to stay open on Tuesday straight through from 10AM until 3:30 PM.  In order to do this we will need some additional volunteers to staff what we are calling the swing shift (maybe we will include some dancing!  We are looking for 8-12 people to work from 11AM to 1:30PM - some on the food line, some in the boutique and some in the warehouse primarily restocking shelves. If you are interested or know anyone who might be interested please contact Patty Watson  either by email pwatson@thefamilypantry.com or phone 508-432-6519.   Turning Wine into Groceries   Cranberry Liqours is running a special on wines which Joe is calling "Closeouts for a Cause" . They are selling closeout bottles of wine at a good price with the proceeds coming to The Family Pantry. Just head down to 555 Main Street in Harwich Port, find a nice bottle of wine at a good price and help support the pantry. Be sure to say thank you to Linda and Matt and even Joe if you see him! While you are in the neighborhood you can also stop in at Second Glance, right next door and find a wonderful bargain or two. Look at all the money you are saving with this one trip to Harwich Port!   Strategic Planning Progress    Slightly less than two years ago The Board of Directors went through a Strategic Planning Process that identified goals for the pantry for the next several years. The Board has had great success in establishing committees to manage the organization including: Executive, Finance, Human Resources, Public Relations, and Volunteers. These committes have improved the way that we run the pantry and those that serve on the committes are to be commended.   The Human Resources Committee has been active in filling the Staff positions that were identified at Startegic Planning and the pantry now has in place the Staff needed to run the full operation. Mostly recently we have welcomed Pat Brophy to the position of Warehouse Supervisor and in the short time he has been here we have seen significant progress in the warehouse.   Donate to the pantry at no cost to you!!! Here's How:   If you already have a TD Bank account, just visit your local office and any Customer Service Representative will have your account linked to The Family Pantry's affinity program. If you do not have an account at TD Bank, please consider doing so and know that by banking at TD Bank you are helping feed 932 families a month and it doesn't cost you anything!    Please contact Mary Anderson at the pantry or any customer Service Representative at any TD Bank with any questions you may have. Thank you for your continued support of The Family Pantry and for considering this request.     We will soon celebrate our first anniversary as a member of TD Bank's Affinity Membership Program which provides our organization the opportunity to earn cash contributions. We're thrilled with the ease of participating in this program and there is no cost to our organization or to anyone who participates on our behalf!   Here's how it works: TD Bank will contribute a percentage of the annual balance in every one of their customers who chooses to affiliate with us. Checking, savings, money markets, CDs and retirement accounts are all included. And there is no limit on the amount of our potential contribution. _________________________________________________________________________ The name "Family Pantry" was chosen because we consider everyone involved to be part of our family; the clients who come to us because they need a little help, the volunteers who are the heart of the pantry and the donors who provide the financial support for us to fulfill our mission of providing food and clothing to those in need. So if you need food, want to volunteer or wish to support us please contact us. Sincerely, Mary Anderson   Executive Director The Family Pantry of Cape Cod 133 Queen Anne Road Harwich, MA 02645 508-432-6519 manderson@thefamilypantry.com    

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