WEEKLY VOLUNTEER BULLETIN
October Monday 26 - Saturday 31 2026
Our Mission
The Mission of the Food Pantry is to provide emergency food for the working poor and to act as a stop gap in times of crisis for people in need.
🦃 Thanksgiving Basket Reminder
As we begin preparing for Thanksgiving, you may notice some items stored in the back that have been set aside for our Thanksgiving Basket Program.
✅ Please leave these items in their designated area and do not use them for regular guest visits or shelf restocking.
By saving these items now, we'll be able to provide complete Thanksgiving baskets to families during the holiday season.
⚠️ Volunteer Reminder - GUEST VISIT LIMITS & ELIGIBILITY CHECKS
Please remain vigilant and continue checking eligibility for every guest, every visit. As more guests reach their visit limits, it is important that we consistently review visit history before creating a new visit. Taking a moment to verify eligibility helps ensure that our guidelines are applied fairly and consistently to all guests.
🎄 CHRISTMAS PARTY CELEBRATION
The Christmas season will be here before we know it!
We will be hosting our annual Volunteer Christmas Party, and we hope everyone can join us for an evening of fellowship, food, fun, and celebration.
This is our opportunity to thank our amazing volunteers for the countless hours you dedicate throughout the year serving our guests and our community.
📅 Date: Thursday December 17th
📍 Location: Sullivan Hall - Sacred Heart Church Fleming Island
⏰ Time: 6pm.
Reserve the Date!
🎄 CHRISTMAS PARADE - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We are excited to participate in the Christmas Parade on December 5th from 4pm to 9pm and would love to have volunteers join us!
We will have a Food Pantry float in the parade and are looking for volunteers to walk alongside the float (2 mile walk), greet the community, and help represent our mission.
✅ Volunteers of all ages are welcome.
✅ Family members are welcome to participate.
✅ Wear comfortable shoes.
This is a wonderful opportunity to share the mission of the Food Pantry with our community and celebrate the Christmas season together.
📝 Sign-Up Here if you would like to participate
or
📱 (904) 449-5363 (Text)
We hope you'll join us as we spread holiday cheer and represent the Food Pantry in our community!
❄️ New Walk-In Refrigerator & Freezer Coming This Week
We are excited to announce that, through the generosity of our supporters and partners, we have received a donation of:
❄️ One Walk-In Freezer
🧊 One Walk-In Refrigerator
Installation is scheduled to begin this week.
These additions will significantly expand our ability to store:
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Dairy products
Frozen foods
Perishable donations
This increased storage capacity will help us reduce waste, improve food safety, and expand the variety of healthy foods available to our guests.
🛒 FOOD SHELF REMINDER
To help ensure all guests have an opportunity to benefit from these items, please remind guests that selections from the Food Shelf are limited to:
✅ One item per household from each shelf
We appreciate your help in communicating this kindly and consistently to all guests.
Our goal is to share these items as fairly as possible so that more families can benefit from them throughout the day.
📚🧸 BOOKS & STUFFED ANIMALS FOR CHILDREN
In the waiting area, we have a selection of books and stuffed animals available for children.
✅ Please remind guests that children may select:
One book per child
One stuffed animal per child
These items are provided through the generosity of our donors and are intended to bring a little joy and comfort to the children we serve.
By limiting selections to one of each per child, we can ensure that more children have an opportunity to enjoy them.
🧹 END-OF-DAY CLEANING HELP NEEDED
Our Food Pantry stays welcoming and organized because of the hard work of our volunteers.
Before leaving for the day, please take a few moments to help with end-of-day cleaning and organization whenever possible.
Examples include:
Returning carts and supplies to their proper location
Straightening shelves and work areas
Taking out trash as needed
Wiping down tables and counters
Sweeping floors when necessary
Organizing donation and storage areas
Breaking down empty boxes
Making sure common areas are clean and ready for the next service day
Many hands make light work, and even a few minutes of help at the end of your shift can make a big difference.
✅ If everyone helps with a small task before leaving, we can keep our pantry clean, organized, and ready to serve the next guest.
🤝 GOOD STEWARDSHIP MATTERS
Everything in our pantry plays an important role in serving our guests and supporting our mission.
Please help us take good care of:
Computers and tablets
Printers and office equipment
Shopping carts and baskets
Reusable bags
Pantry shelves and storage areas
Furniture and waiting areas
Donations and inventory
Equipment and supplies
These resources have been provided through the generosity of donors, grants, and community partners. Taking care of them helps ensure they remain available to serve our guests for years to come.
✅ Please be a good steward of our resources and set a positive example for others.
A well-maintained pantry creates a better experience for our guests, volunteers, and staff, and helps us fulfill our mission more effectively.
Thank you for treating the pantry as if it were your own and for helping us protect the tools and resources that make our work possible.
🍞 BREAD INVENTORY UPDATE
We currently have an abundance of bread available and would like to make sure it gets into the hands of the families we serve.
Please be extra Xtra generous when offering bread to guests. Whenever possible, provide a variety of bread products, including: (6 bags in total).
1x Hamburger Buns
1x Hot Dog Buns
1x Bagels
1x Biscuits
2x Sliced Bread
🍞 IMPORTANT: BREAD STORAGE & HANDLING
We have noticed that some bread is being placed in the refrigerator. While this seems like a good way to keep bread fresh, it actually has the opposite effect.
✅ Please do not place fresh bread in the refrigerator.
Fresh bread should be stored at room temperature in the designated bread area and distributed throughout the week.
Why?
Food experts and bakers explain that refrigeration causes bread to become stale more quickly. The cold temperature speeds up a natural process in the bread's starches that causes the bread to become dry, hard, and lose its freshness. Refrigeration may slow mold growth, but it also significantly reduces the quality of the bread.
For bread that will be used within a few days, room-temperature storage is generally recommended over refrigeration.
Pantry Bread Policy
✅ Keep fresh bread outside of the refrigerator.
✅ Distribute bread throughout the week.
✅ Be generous when offering bread to guests.
✅ Any bread remaining by Monday evening will be discarded.
Our goal is to maximize the quality of the bread we provide while minimizing waste. Thank you for helping us ensure our guests receive the freshest products possible.
📘 CLAY COUNTY RESOURCE BOOKLET
We have created a Clay County Resource Booklet containing information about local services and organizations that may be helpful to our guests and their families.
The booklet includes resources such as:
Food assistance
Housing assistance
Utility assistance
Healthcare services
Mental health resources
Employment assistance
Senior services
Veteran services
Family support programs
Other community resources
✅ Please take some time to review the booklet so you become familiar with the resources available in our community.
✅ Please offer and distribute the booklet to guests whenever appropriate.
While we may not always be able to meet every need directly through the pantry, we can often connect guests with organizations that may be able to help.
A referral to the right resource can sometimes make as much of a difference as the food we provide.
📱 TEXT MESSAGES NOW AVAILABLE ON THE COMPUTER
We are excited to announce that our pantry phone text messaging system is now synchronized with Google Messages.
This means that text messages sent to the pantry phone can now be viewed directly from the computer, making it easier to receive, review, download, and print documents provided by our guests.
✅ How This Helps Our Guests
Many guests have important documents stored on their phones but do not have access to a printer.
Guests can now text documents directly 📲 Pantry Text Number (904) 284-0814
Once a guest sends a document, it will appear immediately on the computer where it can be viewed, downloaded, or printed as needed.
🖥️ How to Access Text Messages
To open the messaging system:
✅ Double-click the "Text Messages" shortcut on the computer desktop.
From there, you will be able to:
View incoming messages
Receive photos and attachments
Download documents
Print documents for guests
Communicate more efficiently with guests who need to submit paperwork
📝 VOLUNTEER REQUESTS, COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS
Did you notice we're running low on something? Have an idea that could help us improve?
We now have a Volunteer Request Form available on our website.
✅ Use it to request supplies such as:
Pens
Paper
Homeless Bags
Office Supplies
Pantry Supplies
Cleaning Supplies
Other Needed Items
✅ You can also use it to:
Submit suggestions
Report concerns
Share ideas for improvements
Request equipment or resources
Provide feedback on operations
Your feedback helps us identify needs quickly and continually improve the way we serve our guests and support our volunteers.
💡 If you see something that needs attention, please don't assume someone else has already reported it.
We value your input and encourage everyone to participate in making the Food Pantry even better.
❤️ THANK YOU
Thank you for your dedication, compassion, and commitment to serving our community. Every smile, every conversation, and every act of kindness matters.
Have a wonderful day serving others.