As one of Franklin and Marshall’s chosen service sites, the Emerald Foundation was able to provide an orientation of Autumn’s Pantry for F & M students participating as part of The Ware Institute for Civic Engagement’s PIT (Putting It Together in the Community) program. We were delighted to experience a vibrant exchange of ideas in addressing numerous challenges in operating a pantry. The students provided many thoughtful comments and learned about pantry operations under the purview of the United States Department of Agriculture, local and federal guidelines for pantry food storage, inventory, and inspection, and were able to receive Civil Rights Training and certification as Pantry workers. They witnessed first-hand the challenges of food distribution and the need for turnover analysis. Our featured guest, Rebekah Christens-Persuad took them through the importance of educating pantry participants on food nutritional value, preventing a cycle of “bad choices” and understanding the “Budget/Food Purchase Relationship.” Her presentation culminated with a video of her Service Learning Project for the PA College of Health Sciences which featured a timeline of taking an interest in a community service like Autumn’s Pantry and developing that interest on a myriad of levels. Students were able to set up our drive-thru Autumn’s Pantry and experience the care, organization, and time that goes into the process in order to make it a positive and dignified experience for pantry participants. All in all, this was a spectacular experience for the Emerald Foundation to collaborate with so many students exhibiting such youthful, innovative, and dynamic exuberance while sharing ideas for continued development and solutions to current challenges. The synergy for community awareness and leadership was definitely evident in the F & M student group.
Emerald is currently enriching and empowering almost 100 families throughout Lancaster County. Our food pantry is unique in that we are non-religious and non-politically affiliated and not zipcode restricted. We offer easy access, ample parking, and we are conveniently located on a bus line! Our mission is to help fight hunger and improve lives by offering nutritional, accessible and sustainable food choices to those in need.
Autumn’s Food Pantry thrives on monetary donations to meet the needs of the community. Because of the strong buying power that the E has, your donation allows us to purchase food at the best prices so we can provide the most to those in need.