Monthly Newsletter - May 2024

Because of you, over 100 food insecure families will feel less stress this summer!  Can you imagine not being sure if you would be able to feed your kids?  Also, the full $7500 match from a generous donor was received! Thank you to all who donated and helped spread the word!  

It is amazing to see many, many families, individuals and companies come together to make the summer giving a success.    We are thankful for the summer giving support from Brighthouse Financial, Novant Health, SunCap Property Group, Towne Bank, Project LeanNation, and Carolinas Referral Group Ballantyne.

I am also happy to report that 3 families were able to come off the summer giving list.  Here is a note from one of our counselors: “One of my families is in a better position, and no longer requires BFHNIN services. They were very appreciative of the help given.”

Words of thanks don’t seem to be enough – thank you for your generosity!  

Together, we are making a difference!

Heather and Team

We were very fortunate to have some special visitors this month in the pantry!  The Ballantyne Rotary stopped by for a tour and surprised us with a $500 donation! The money was spent on much needed items for the pantry.  We are also grateful for Brooke Schonfeld and her daughter, Emerson, who shopped for the items needed and delivered them to the pantry.   This was a huge help!

 

To date we have shopped over 435 pantry requests for families in need during this school year! That is a 188% increase from this time last year.   Thank YOU for your donations of food and time. Without your help we would not be able to meet the increased need that we are seeing at this time. 

 

The pantry team and volunteers completed inventory this month. Thanks to those who assisted!  During inventory we check food dates, date items, and get a firm count on everything we have in the pantry. This will allow us to calculate exactly what we need to finish out the last month strong.  May will be our last month to fill pantry requests because the food pantry closes during summer vacation.  The amazon wish list will be updated with our most needed items to finish the year.    We appreciate all you do!  

 

Thanks again,

Erin, Tammy, and Sheilah

It has been amazing to see the number of food drives held this past year to support our food pantry.  Pravitha Menon coordinated a food drive in April with her local VT Seva chapter, a volunteer driven non-profit that promotes youth volunteering and philanthropy within our community.  They brought in over 400 food items to the pantry to help us finish out the school year.  

We also had a group of AK Students who held a food drive in conjunction with their prom dinner. What a great way to combine fun along with community service!

We are looking for individuals or groups to hold food drives in August as we prepare to reopen the pantry for the school year.  If you are interested, please reach out to lauren@ballantynefamilies.org.

Sally is a member at large on our Executive Board and in charge of our social media. She has been working with Ballantyne Families for several years!

We are so thankful for the time, effort and love that Sally puts into Ballantyne Families! We really appreciate her thought leadership and can do attitude along with her flexibility and willingness to help when needed. 

Ballantyne Families wouldn’t be where we are today without Sally‘s help!

Thank you Sally for everything!