The 2012 season was an amazing success! We harvested over 4000 lbs of vegetables between May and November. All of the produce went to people in need, helping supply them with fresh, nutritious produce. Though the growing season is over, don't think we're just sitting around waiting for the warm weather. The Garden Committee and volunteers have been hard at work this winter.     What's Happening   This winter in the garden we've been working to make improvements before the upcoming planting season to increase production.  Two new trellis systems are being installed to add vertical growing space and a new garden section is being dug in the center area.  The cables for the fruit trees should be finished soon to support the trees and prevent them from falling when covered with fruit.  The irrigation has been laid and the soil is being prepared for planting. Work has also been done in the Adopt-A-Plot Garden to regrade the beds and add a walkway for easier access to certain beds.    Soon we'll be able to start planting seeds and get our plants growing! The seeds will be planted by the Orleans District Court Community Service Program at Miss Scarlett's Blue Ribbon Farm in Barnstable, who is donating greenhouse space to grow our seedlings. On May 13th the seedlings will be transplanted into the garden with help from AmeriCorps Cape Cod. After that it will quickly be time for weeding and harvesting!   Volunteers Needed!   The Family Pantry of Cape Cod Garden is looking for volunteers for the upcoming season! Please contact Patty Watson at 508-432-6519 or pwatson@thefamilypantry.com if interested. See below for specific opportunities.     March 23rd Volunteer Day We're doing our best to have the garden construction projects completed by May but we need your help! Come out March 23rd from 8:30 to noon for a great day working in the garden! Projects will include installing a trellis system, finishing pathways, and digging out the new garden section. We can accommodate volunteers of all ages and this is great opportunity for individuals, groups, and families.   Planting May 13th We'll be planting our seedlings May 13th! We're looking for volunteers to come help our Garden Committee and AmeriCorps Cape Cod plant our seedlings, as we'll have hundreds of plants. The workday would go from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Feel free to come for the whole day or part of the time. We'd appreciate any help as this is a huge task for one day!   Garden Volunteers Garden volunteers help with manual garden tasks including weeding, watering, harvesting, and general garden upkeep. We are looking for groups and individuals to help between June and October. Shifts are available from 8:30 am-12 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.   Adopt-a-Plot Renters The Adopt-a-Plot garden has plots available for rent for the 2013 season. There are only a few left! Each plot is 7' x 14' and costs $10 to rent.  Additionally we ask that renters donate any surplus harvest to the Pantry.  Plots are available March-December and will be assigned on a first come basis.  The Pantry will provide irrigation. Fertilizer and plants may be provided depending on availability.   Garden Committee Members The Garden Committee is looking for additional members to expand its knowledge base. Committee members are in charge of a specific aspect of the garden. Possible responsibilities include planning planting, overseeing volunteers, and tracking harvest and volunteers.  We hold monthly meetings to review garden progress and plan for the upcoming months.  The committee meets year round, with an emphasis on March - November.  It's a great group of dedicated volunteers who share a common passion for gardening and helping others!   Garden Interns Garden interns will be responsible for performing daily and seasonal tasks in the garden including preparing beds, planting, harvesting, weeding, closing, etc.  Interns will be expected to come at least once a week on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday from 8:30 am -12 pm on a regular basis. We are looking for 3 interns to serve over the summer, preferably high school seniors or older.  Start and end dates are flexible.    Stay tuned for more information on our Garden Supervisor     AmeriCorps Serving Here   This season the Garden Supervisor position is being filled by AmeriCorps Cape Cod member Kelsey Boyd.  AmeriCorps is a nation wide volunteer service organization. The AmeriCorps Cape Cod program focuses on natural resource management, community outreach and education, volunteer management, and disaster preparedness. 34 members serve for 11 months, living together in three houses, two in Wellfleet and one in Bourne. Members serve with town, county, and federal agencies, as well as nonprofits, across the Cape.   This is Kelsey's second year with the program. Last year she served with the Falmouth DPW Engineering Department and the Mashpee Conservation Department. This year she is serving with the National Seashore BioLab as well as The Family Pantry of Cape Cod. As garden supervisor she is helping the Garden Committee with construction, planting, harvesting, and daily garden care. Additionally, she is working to create a comprehensive resource manual and to recruit volunteers for both the production garden and Adopt-A-Plot beds.  We are thrilled to have such a confident and kind volunteer provide leadership in the garden!       Thank You to All of Our Volunteers and Donors!   The garden would not be a reality without the dedication of our volunteers and generous support from our donors. We'd like to thank them for all of the time and materials they have given.   Garden Committee Our garden committee works to maintain the garden, care for plants, and make sure everything is running smoothly. Our committee members are: Matt Kelley Don Milbier Larry Hake Barbara Wilson Pat Greenwood Al Donoghue Mike Provost Group Volunteers These groups have given numerous days to the pantry, working on construction projects, helping with harvesting, and working to prepare the beds for spring. Thank you to: Orleans District Court Community Service Program CapeAbilities AmeriCorps Cape Cod   Donors Thank you donors for your support through materials and trainings. Agway Bartlett Tree Cape Cod Ready Mix Country Gardens Green Spot Garden Center The Farm Miss Scarlett's Blue Ribbon Farm Profence Stonewood The Tree Company Cape Sand and Recycle Mid Cape Home Center Salt Spray Sheds Home Depot Our Hours of Operation  Tuesday 10-3:30 Thursday 10-noon, 1:30-3:30 & 5-7PM Saturday 10-noon  

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  Think Spring and what is a better harbinger of Spring but thinking about gardening?  The 2012 season was an amazing success in our new garden! We harvested over 4000 pounds of vegetables between May and November and our clients were thrilled to have such wonderfully nutritious choices. This year we hope to increase production to provide even more fresh produce to our clients and we're looking for more volunteers to make that happen in the upcoming season! Look below for the article listing gardening opportunities    Save the date!!!!     Join us at the lovely Wychmere Beach Club on May 31st from 6-9P.M. for the Second Annual Summer Gala.   This is the pantry's premier fundraising event thanks to the leadership of Tom and Shelly O'Neill (pictured above with U.S. Representative William Keating at last year's Gala). Save the date cards have been sent to our major donors and invitations will be sent to them in April but we want to be sure that everyone knows it is open to anyone who would like to attend. Last year's event was a major success. It was a beautiful night, the food was exquisite and you can't beat the view of Wychmere Harbor. Watch for further details on the event including ticket prices but for now save the date! Pictured below are longtime pantry supporters Dennis and Dolores Picard enjoying last year's event.         Second Glance Celebrates its Sixth Anniversary  Come and shop at Second Glance, the upscale thrift shop of The Family Pantry of Cape Cod. We are currently having a huge sale - 75% off everything but jewelry!!!!! This is in honor of our anniversary. Second Glance opened 6 years ago in a small storefront on Cross Street and moved into larger space at 563 Main Street in Harwich Port in 2011. Second Glance is managed by a great team of volunteers and all proceeds go back to support The Family Pantry of Cape Cod which is the largest pantry on Cape Cod that is open to anyone in need. In 2012 we served 9,266 people! So stop into Second Glance, find some great bargains and know that you are helping to support your neighbors in need.     Volunteer Service Anniversary Party   In April The Board of Directors will be hosting the third annual Volunteer Service Anniversary Luncheon.  The Board has invited all Volunteers who completed 5, 10, 15 or 20 or more years of service to the pantry by the end of 2012 to celebrate at a lovely luncheon at The Chatham Wayside Inn.   Volunteers are the heart and soul of the pantry and we simply could not fulfill our mission of providing food and clothing to those in need without them. We currently are fortunate to have 300 dedicated regular volunteers and another 100 who work on an occasional basis or for a specific project.   Please congratulate the following honorees and look for some pictures in the next newsletter:   20 years or more: Denny Duggan, Elizabeth Duggan, Mary Eagan, Carol Ann Gallo, Bob & Joanne Greene, Helen Marsden, George & Mary Morris, Gene & Joan Kirk, Joan Shea & Mary Sullivan   15 years: Paul Gallagher, Jeanette Lynch & Jo Molnar   10 years: Sue & Tom Granai, Rich Graveline & Mary Kocot   5 years: Mary Alice Badenbaugh, Emily Barrett, Laurie Callaghan, Karen Campbell, Eleanor & Bob Casey, Lorraine Cowhey, Peggy Devaney, Fran Donovan, Adeline Harrington, Susan Harrington, Pat Hirtle, Betty Ann Holman, Blanche Hunnewell, Hank Jensen, Kathleen Kelly, Margaret Kirker, Joanna McInerney, Ralph Porter, Joan Thompson, Maureen Ullman, Eileen & Jack Wyatt.     Greater Boston Food Bank's Legislative Breakfast          Several Legislators as well as pantry representatives from Massachusetts attended the breakfast meeting to hear Catherine D'Amato, President & CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank speak about the need for increased MEFAP (Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program) funding. The current level is $12M for food and $1M for administration and the request for next year is $15M for food and $1M for administration. Mayor Menino (pictured with Catherine) was on hand to welcome people to the City of Boston. The MEFAP food that we receive from this program is a huge benefit to The Family Pantry of Cape Cod , helping us to provide food to over 1,000 families each month.   Garden Volunteers Needed         Garden Workers: Garden volunteers help with manual garden tasks including preparing beds, planting, watering, harvesting, weeding, general garden upkeep, closing the garden for the season. We are looking for groups and individuals to help between June and October. Shifts are available from 8:30 am-12 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.   Garden Management: We are looking for additional members of the garden committee to expand its knowledge base. Committee members are in charge of a specific aspect of the garden. Possible responsibilities include planning planting, overseeing volunteers, and tracking harvest and volunteers. We hold monthly meetings to review garden progress and plan for the upcoming months. The committee meets year round, with an emphasis on March - November.    Please contact Patty Watson at 508-432-6519  or pwatson@thefamilypantry.com if interested.      Help us with the Feinstein Challenge  For several years the Alan Feinstein Foundation has distributed a million dollars to anti-hunger agencies and The Family Pantry of Cape Cod will be one of those agencies again this year! The way this works is we keep track of donations during the months of March and April and report it to the Feinstein Foundation who then makes proportional grants to the agencies who participated. It is a great way to increase awareness about hunger. So thank you for helping us receive a part (admittedly a small part!) of that million dollars! For more information check out www.feinsteinfoundation.org 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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  Stay tuned for details of the Wychmere Beach Club Summer Gala benefiting The Family Pantry of Cape Cod. Tom and Shelly O’Neill, David and Nicky Metzler, Kip and Stephanie O’Neill, Jeff and Kristi Leerink, Jim and Alina Apteker and Demetri and Sarah Dasco hosted a summer gala at the beautiful Wychmere Beach Club last summer and they have generously offered to host a similar event in 2013. Watch our website for the date! Click here to see photos of last year's event.  

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We're in need of clothing donations for our clients as well as for our thrift shop - Second Glance.  Items of clothing, household goods, and jewelry are welcome donations to The Family Pantry of Cape Cod and now is the perfect time to make room in your closets by donating those items you no longer need. These donations can be brought to The Family Pantry of Cape Cod location at 133 Queen Anne Rd. in Harwich, MA. during the following hours: Tuesday 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM Thursday 10:00 AM - Noon, 1:30 - 3:30 PM, 5:00 - 7:00 PM Saturday 10:00 AM - Noon THANK YOU!!!!

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The Family Pantry of Cape Cod introduces its own Pandora style bead. By adding your own chain, this sterling silver bead can be used alone as a bracelet or necklace, can be added to your  existing collection or is a way to start a new bead collection.     The beads cost $20.00 and $10 of each sale goes directly to the Pantry.   The bead makes a great Valentines, Birthday, Anniversary or Just Because gift especially for a pantry or thrift shop volunteer.   The beads are on sale at our thrift shop, Second Glance, 563 Main Street in Harwich Port Tuesday - Saturday 10-4 or in the pantry office during our open hours, Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday or by appointment.  

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