Dear Editor:

As 2016 is now past, we would be very remiss not to mention “out loud” how amazing support has been this past year for Food For Thought. Each week volunteers deliver bags of “weekend” food to children across the peninsula, in each one of our communities. This past year we received grants and donations from groups and individuals to help purchase the food. Also, every week food is given directly to Food For Thought from local small community stores. All of these donors understand that children should not be hungry.

The Christmas season brought us wonderful, cheerful, unexpected Santas. From Eventide Specialties, each of the employees very generously donated money to the program rather than buy something for each other. With this gift we were able to “beef up” the Christmas vacation bags with lots of nutritious and holiday food. US Cellular and employees at Harbor Technologies paid it forward with the donation of a ham for each family and volunteered time packing the delivery bags. In addition to their regular food donations, a weekly donor gave special individually wrapped goodies for each child. A local resident made a Christmas stocking for each family filled with treats for the children.

We are very thankful for our team: volunteers who shop, pack bags of food, and drivers/deliverers who never complained about the (incredible!) holiday weight of the food bags, or the weather, or anything else. And each week of the year they continue to help feed the children.

We are in awe of our neighbors, grateful for their generosity in time and dollars, and humbled by their thoughtfulness. We thank them also for continued friendship - and send very good wishes for a Happy New Year!

Mary Patch and Nancy Palmer Van Dyke, Co-chairs,

Food For Thought