By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
The Daily Bread Food Pantry on US 60 in Grayson will be having its grand opening on Tuesday, March 18, from 2 until 4 p.m. The store, which helps support people over 65 in the area that have food insecurity, and those families referred from local schools, provides its supplies at no charge. And though the food bank focuses on providing food, store manager Pam Wilburn said they have been blessed and are able to offer other items to those in need.
“It’s set up just like a grocery store,” Wilburn said. “We have canned products, bakery items, and chips, candy, and we’ll have fresh produce for the families who need it. We’ll have apples and potatoes, and all other kinds of fresh produce.”
“We also have what I call a ‘this and that’ corner, that has dishes and stuff like that,” she added. “There are also toys and other things in the ‘this and that’ corner.”
Wilburn said the food pantry gets regular donations from the Christian Appalachian Project, and that organization brings all new items as they collect them, items which can include almost anything from cosmetics to personal hygiene products, and regularly has toys and other things in the delivery.
“There can be cosmetics, curtain rods, home décor, and different things like that,” she said.
While the space is designed to cater mostly to elders, families and others can shop there on a referral basis.
“The store will be for anyone 65 and older, with exception that churches can do a referral, social services can, and school resource officers can do a referral as well,” Wilburn said.
There is no age restriction regarding the referrals. The food pantry will also be having a special giveaway the weekend before the Tuesday grand opening, Wilburn said. On Saturday, March 15, they will be having a special giveaway for women.
Wilburn said that the Christian Appalachian Project recently donated a lot of items that women often need, such as makeup, deodorant, and hair products.
“So, we’re going to do a lady’s day giveaway on March 15, and then we will open the store on March 18,” she said. “And we are still doing our monthly food giveaways, so families are still welcome to shop on those giveaway days.”
The older individuals they served were finding it difficult to stand in line during those giveaways, Wilburn said. This was one of the reasons for the move to open a pantry that offered something more akin to a traditional shopping experience.
“A lot of them were using canes and some of them were using walkers,” she said. “And it was hard for them to stand in line. But we built a real nice handicap ramp to the store, and are hoping that will make it easier for our seniors.”
Older people coming to the food pantry don’t need to be concerned about missing available products simply because they are not standing or moving through the line, Wilburn said.
“The same stuff that we have in the pickup line is in the store,” she said.
Wilburn was quick to offer praise for other churches that have jumped in to help. The Mormon Church in Olive Hill, she said, is buying coolers for the store which will allow them to store things like orange juice, yogurt, and milk for their customers. That church is also giving Daily Bread $1,700 to purchase groceries that will be added to their giveaways and the store. There was also an anonymous donation of $5,000 which is a major help to the pantry.
“The community has been so good,” Wilburn said. “They help bag up the food and stock the food for the giveaway. We just couldn’t do it without the community support.”
The sense of community created has been a blessing as well, she said.
“It’s good to see so many different organizations come together. It has truly been a blessing. All the different churches, like the Methodist Church and England Hill Church that comes from Catlettsburg. It’s been such a blessing to get to know those people,” Wilburn said. “And you see the similarities, not the differences, when we all work together. We all just want to feed hungry people.”
Wilburn said that she is also very grateful to the people from Genysis Rehab who have helped her immensely with cleaning and painting.
“They have just been so good to help us,” she said. “They have unloaded trucks and helped with the giveaway. They have just been amazing.”
The Daily Bread Food Pantry is a good example of what can be accomplished when everyone works together toward a common goal, Wilburn said. And working together, she added, makes the community better one family at a time.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
