News

04/18/2011

Annual Pancake breakfast to benefit Harvest of Hope Food Pantry

The Harvest of Hope Food Pantry will receive the proceeds from the 15th annual pancake breakfast at Greencroft Goshen on Thursday, May 5. The public is invited to the all-you-care-to-eat breakfast benefit from 6:30 - 9 a.m. at the Greencroft Goshen Senior Center, 1721 Greencroft Blvd. in Goshen. The menu includes pancakes and sausage, along with juice and hot beverages. The suggested donation is $5 per person at the door; tickets are also available in advance from the Pantry and the Greencroft Goshen Senior Center. Because of construction projects at the Senior Center attendees should note the white “Overflow Parking” signs if the main parking area is full, directing traffic to additional nearby parking. The Harvest of Hope Food Pantry was established by several areas churches to provide food assistance to needy families in the Goshen area. The congregations that providing volunteer staffing are the Christian Fellowship of Goshen, Eighth St. Mennonite Church, First English Lutheran and Waterford Mennonite Church. In 2008 the Harvest of Hope Food Pantry gave away 60,000 pounds of food. The Pantry is open every Monday evening from 5:30-7:00 at the Lighthouse, 423 E. Jefferson, at the corner of Jefferson and 8th streets. “The funds raised by the breakfast will be used directly to purchase food for the pantry,” states Lisa Yoder, the Harvest of Hope Food Pantry contact person. “All persons involved are volunteers, we pay no salaries. Our rent and utilities are all covered by the church. Volunteer shoppers shop each week for the best deals in addition to using the Food Bank of Northern Indiana as much as possible. We also have a small number of food donations, but the majority of our food is purchased with monetary donations given to the pantry.” Yoder notes that the need for food assistance in the Goshen area has been largely steady since the inception of the pantry in December of 2008. “That, of course, was the beginning of the economic crisis that our country has been going through. Some of our clients have been coming consistently since that time. Others have moved away due to not being able to find jobs and some have moved to live with other family members. We tend to see many households double in size because families are living together in order to survive,” she says. “We have been told that some would not know where to turn without the assistance of the pantry. Harvest of Hope Food Pantry is located in the heart of downtown Goshen, very accessible for a lot of people who need and are seeking help” adds Yoder. “We feel that the atmosphere at the pantry makes people feel more comfortable in seeking assistance and aim to establish relationships with all who are open to it and minister to those who desire more than just food.” The Exchange Club of Elkhart County assists in the annual event by bringing in their griddles and cooking the food as one of their projects. Greencroft provides the food, space and additional volunteers. The event is one way these not-for-profit agencies fulfill their commitment to share in the well-being of the greater community. “This is one of many times in the year that we reach out to show our support for the community” notes Matthew Lentsch, Director of the Greencroft Communities Foundation and breakfast planning chair. “As a community-benefit organization we give back to the community in numerous ways, not only to support seniors. We do things like this to support wonderful organizations like Goshen Interfaith Hospitality Network that do tremendous work in the community. It’s a wonderful way to partner with them.” During the past 14 years the Greencroft Pancake Breakfast has raised around $33,000 for not-for-profit service and civic agencies in Elkhart County.