THANK YOU!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

Megan J. Humphrey

As I reflect back on almost 30 years with HANDS, I feel heart-filled with gratitude for a community that has really stepped up to help us fill some gaps in getting healthy food to older adults who struggle with food insecurity.

We started many years ago as a tiny group of people gathering together on Christmas Day, a day that’s tough for so many. Eventually, the Holiday Dinner grew into a county-wide distribution of a hot meal and giftbag to 1,200 seniors, with tremendous help from a stellar “A Team”, hundreds of volunteers, and both financial and in-kind donations from so many kind people and businesses.

And we created other programs over the years: HANDS in the Dirt which included gardening programs at senior housing, long-term nursing centers, and senior centers; Diverse Pantry is delivering fresh, local food to older adults in refugee communities; and HANDS in the Kitchen offers a fun nutrition education series of workshops that promote healthy eating on a tight budget.  

THANK YOU to every single one of you who pitched in to wrap gifts, lent a hand to Chef Robin as she presented a workshop, built raised garden beds for our sites, donated financially so we could keep going, volunteered in innumerable ways, helped with our veterans programs, delivered meals and giftbags, assisted with so many with events, connected with older adults during COVID, and did everything else in-between.

As I retire and the incredibly talented Mara Welton takes over as Interim Director, I thank she and our other Board members, Beth Sachs and Kirk Rankin. They’ll guide HANDS to the next step in our important mission of getting healthy food to people who need it.

Again, many thanks to each of you!

May you have a peaceful and joyful holiday season.

With much gratitude,

Megan