Is it really October and where exactly did this year go?  You can tell it is Fall at the pantry because people who have lost their seasonal jobs are coming to us for a bit of help. We are also gearing up to start taking fuel assistance applications November 1st. And believe it or not we are working on our holiday programs! Many people ask around the holidays what they can do to help so there is an article about holiday support in this newsletter. The founders chose the word  "Family" for our name because we are all family: the clients who need some help, the 300+ dedicated volunteers who are the heart of the pantry and the donors who give us the resources to make it all happen. So as a part of our family I thank you for all that you have done for The Family Pantry of Cape Cod and the 8,693 people that we helped last year.     All Eyes on Second Glance  2012 marked the 5th birthday of our upscale thrift shop and it has been a success beyond our wildest dreams. Sales have increased just about every month that we have been in operation which is a tribute to the fabulous volunteers, Team Leaders and the incredible Lorraine Cowhey who manages the store. This dedicated group of 50 volunteers has created a thrift shop that is often mistaken for a retail store and once received an honorable mention as a consignment shop even though we are not a consignment store!   Many of our loyal customers tell us that we are the best thrift shop on Cape Cod and the customer is always right! We change our stock regularly with the seasons so right now we are featuring a great collection of fall clothes as well as our jewely, household items, and books.   We currently are looking for volunteers for Friday and Saturday afternoons. The tasks include steaming, ironing, pricing and displaying items as well as keeping the shop clean so that we retain our image as the upscale thrift shop.      If interested contact Patty Watson on 508-432-6519 x6 or pwatson@thefamilypantry.com   Second Glance is located at 563 Main Street (right next to Dino's restaurant) and is open Tuesday - Saturday 10-4 yearround and Mondays June - October 10-4 A sad good bye to Sara Weller  All good things must come to an end or so "they" say. We have been very fortunate to have the services of Sara Weller for the past two summers as our Garden Intern/Supervisor. Sara came to us last year as an Intern from Smith College and was just what we needed to help manage the garden. This year we were fortunate to have a grant from the Cape & Islands United Way to hire for the position and were delighted that Sara came back and picked up right where she left off. Sara proudly reported that we have now produced in excess of 4000 pounds of organic vegetables at a value of about $12K.  Our clients are thrilled with the selection of vegetables and Sara was a big part of making it happen. We wish Sara all the best and know that she will forever be a treasured part of The Family Pantry of Cape Cod's family. Welcome Back Emily Aucoin: Emily is our youngest volunteer ever. As a four year old child she designed The Family Pantry of Cape Cod's logo which we still use today in all our publications. Over the years Emily has assited her  parents, Michelle & Joe Aucoin in various tasks at the pantry. Emily is now a wonderful young lady and she returned this summer and volunteered in the pantry. In addition to her hard work at the pantry, Emily also organized a food drive where she worked and brought in 6 large boxes of food for the pantry.     Volunteers Openings We have over 300 volunteers but we are always looking for a few more. The following are some spots that are still available:    1. Second Glance Thrift Shop - Fridays, Saturdays  We are seeking volunteers for 3 hour shifts 1-4PM throughout the year.   2. Bottles and Cans - 7-10 Thursdays  and Saturdays in the fall.   3. Warehouse Stocking shelves - Tuesday 9:30 - 12:00 Please contact Patty Watson for more information at 508-432-6519, pwatson@thefamilypantry.com.    Type caption text here. United Way's Day of Caring crew from Cape Country WKPE got the pantry warehouse in shape for a busy holiday season!  Holiday planning  I know. I know. It is only October but with close to 9,000 people to care for we need to plan ahead. I promise we will not be playing Chritmas carols yet nor put the decorations up but I wanted to give people some suggestions for ways to help us with the holidays.   Thanksgiving: We provide turkeys and all the fixings for our client families of three or more people who sign up to receive one. The individuals and families of two are given an invitations to local community meals such as the one at Brax Landing.   If you can afford to do so, when shopping for your holiday meal consider picking up an extra frozen turkey and donating it to us. We have plenty of freezer space so the turkeys may be brought to us any time during our open hours.   Christmas/Hannukah: We provide toys/gifts to client parents for their children ages infant to 14. Last year we had gifts for 775 children and expect we will need at least that many and probably a few more this year. We already have commitments from the Cape Cod Corvette Club and the Harwich Chamber of Commerce to help us with this endeavor but we can always use a few more Elves to donate new unwrapped items to us. Again we have the storage space so can take  the items at any time during our open hours.   Greens: Lastly cash is always good. if you don't have the time to shop and  would like to help we welcome financial donations Visit our website or you can mail a donation to The Family Pantry, 133 Queen Anne Road, Harwich, MA 02645. You can avoid the rush and even make this a part of the Cape Cod Chronicle's Neighbor Helping Neighbor Drive which kicks off in November.    Our Hours of Operation  Tuesday 10-3:30 Thursday 10-noon, 1:30-3:30 & 5-7PM Saturday 10-noon    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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