During 2011, we have made an effort to be more visible in our community and to spread the Good News through the community dinners funded through a Diocesan Mustard Seed Grant. (The Community Dinners in 2011-2012 which later became the Village Harvest in 2014.)
The movement toward the harvest was after a time of reflection from a retreat with Sally O’Brien—Resourceful use of our buildings and creative ways of being “church” in our community. Instead of having a Vestry retreat this year, we had a Parish Retreat, so that everyone in the congregation could participate. We welcomed Sally O’Brien, from the Episcopal Church Building Fund, to join us for Sunday worship and to give us a presentation and to lead us in a time of discernment following our worship service and lunch. The mission of the Building Fund is to empower congregations to develop or enhance their mission through the strategic, resourceful and creative use of their buildings and to help congregations to think about new vital ways of being “church” in their communities. The Vestry has spent this past year exploring various ideas that came from this time of discernment.
The obvious ongoing ministry that we decided to enlarge is our calling to feed the hungry people in our community. We held another Community Dinner in December as part of the Town of Port Royal Tree Lighting and with the help of Caroline’s Promise
Since Port Royal exists in a food desert, meaning that fresh produce and healthy food choices year round is not immediately available for those who lack money and transportation, in Nov. 2014 started a food distribution called Village Harvest that takes place on the third Wednesday of each month.
With help from the Northern Neck Food Bank (now Healthy HArvest and the willingness of Johnny Davis to pick up produce, we have been able in just two months to distribute to 21 families fresh produce including collards, potatoes, sweet potatoes, watermelons, avocados and acorn squash. In addition, we have provided these families with Kleenex, soup, peanut butter, bread, and other food staples. We hope to continue this monthly distribution throughout the year. We are using our Parish House as the distribution point, and people come to St Peter’s to pick up their food. We are currently serving 21 families, for a total of around 64 people who benefit from this distribution.
- There is definitely still a need for this ministry
In a sermon on September 22, 2019 Catherine wrote “I have had people who come to the distribution tell me that they wouldn’t have had enough food to get through the month without the food we provide.”
The Harvest provides Food for those who are being challenged economically. Funds saved from purchasing food can go toward other necessities. We have a variety of clients ‐ widows, single parents, senior adults on limited fix income, unemployed, working poor, people experiencing a crisis.
We are called to do like Jesus – and he fed people both physically and spiritually. Witness the stories of the Feeding of the 4,000 and 5,000.
- There is a benefit for us helping with this ministry
Four quotes from our volunteers highlight their role:
“I enjoy being a part of a team in our mission “To Do God’s Will”. “I think that our community is learning that we at St. Peter’s CARE and desire to share God’s love with our neighbors.”
“I help with Village Harvest because we get to know the people we help. These folks become friends not just a number. It just makes me happy that we can help in some small way to make things a little easier or better for them.”
“I help because we are called in the Gospel to feed the hungry.”
“Helping people to have access to fresh vegetables, fruit, meats and other necessities is important to me and our church. It is what Jesus asks us to do.
It teaches children about outreach and generosity. One summer in Vacation Bible school provided jars of beans with a recipe for a distribution.
- The ministry has been successful.
Over the past 9 years, we have distributed 121,795 pounds of food to 11,010 people which equates to 11.1 pounds per person. That’s substantial. The earlier years were lower at under 9 pounds per person with 2018 onward being over 12 pounds
Over the past 12 months it is 14 pounds per person. We have served 1,032 people this year , 13,984 pounds
It is clearly one of our more visible and valuable outreach expressions from our church.
We have distributed more than food. We have provided school supplies in the summer and calendars and small gifts at Christmas. We have provided information about services, such as health related. We have prayed with them. And we have held dinners for our clients. In 2019, the ECW provided an array of “white elephant gifts” that were distributed at the December Village Harvest.
- At the same time it has been successful, the Village Harvest is challenged by cost. The monetary costs have increased
The average monthly cost for the last 12 months is $180. This is up from $172 in 2022 and $169 in 2021
Nationally, food prices were 3.3 percent higher in October 2023 than in October 2022.
The Village Harvest is funded not by the budget but by gifts from Giving Tuesday and at other times. Your gift is important for keeping this ministry going in the next year.
- There is work to be done
There is still much work to be done. In 2 of the 4 counties we serve –Essex and Westmoreland had a larger percentage of those with food insecurity than the percentage for Virginia based on numbers from Feeding America. Essex was 9.8%, Westmoreland 9.9% of the population in 2021 the latest figures compared to Virginia as a whole at 8.1%.
The definition of Food insecure is “these households who do not have access, at all times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members.” We need to build the connection between our congregation and clients who come to the Village Harvest