JAMES ISLAND, S.C. – James Island Outreach is hoping to expand its food pantry and requires additional funding to satisfy the community’s need for food assistance.
The Town of James Island is having its Town Market from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., which will feature local vendors from across the Lowcountry as well as a silent auction to benefit the James Island Outreach food pantry expansion project.
The silent auction aims to close the $70,000 funding deficit for the food pantry expansion project and bring the community together to support the James Island Outreach.
“They are unaware that 290 persons every month pass by here. That figure kind of hits you like, “Oh my goodness, I didn’t know my community needed this kind of help.” Marion Kammauf, Pantry Captain for James Island Outreach, said. “
Kammauf claims their clientele has increased in the last three years, and they require more space to serve their community.
“We have a very limited amount of square footage right now,” said Donna Norvelle, the Development Coordinator for James Island Outreach. “We want our clients to be able to select the products that they want and have a little time to do it, but with the limited space, sometimes I feel like they may be a little bit rushed and it’s very crowded in there.”
The project’s purpose is to increase the shopping area where neighbours choose their food, as well as to provide more storage to the pantry.
“There will be more options for clients and a smoother flow for them. They won’t have to sit as long. That, I believe, will be the most satisfying aspect for me. Hopefully, they won’t have to wait more than two hours simply to shop for groceries. Kammauf said.
The silent auction features 50 things, ranging from artwork to a new bike and even a week’s trip to a mountain retreat in North Carolina.
James Island Outreach has collaborated with the Town of James Island, and all proceeds from the silent auction will go towards funding the food pantry expansion project.
“It’s a wonderful organisation,” remarked James Island Town Mayor Brook Lyon. “They provide a lot of support and help to our community, and we want to help and support them.”
The new facility aims to make it easier for customers to purchase for food than the pantry’s present setup, which is largely outside.
“When it’s 95 degrees out and all the lettuce and all the fruit just kind of wilts really quickly,” Kammauf told me. “And conversely, when the wind is blowing through in the winter and it’s really cold, the clients have to basically shop outside.”
“It’s important for us to grow with our client base and so that our clients know that they can count on us and they can count on their community to help support them when they need help,” Kammauf told me.
You can donate to James Island Outreach by visiting their website.
“Community is everything. That is what keeps us here. That’s what got us started. “That’s what keeps us going and will help us grow in the future,” Kammauf said.
