table in the world serving food

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Table in the World

FINDING ABUNDANCE

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Seven months ago, as the Fredericksburg area encountered a reality much changed by COVID-19, The Table at St. George's faced new challenges. The pop-up market-style food pantry that operated each Tuesday for 50 weeks a year was shuttered due to the pandemic. Since 2012, those challenged with food insecurity had come to The Table to obtain healthy food at no charge and participate in a loving community that offered smiles and friendship as those served and those serving connected with one another. The Table provided fresh fruits and vegetables in addition to the nonperishable foods found at most food pantries.

How could The Table continue to serve its neighbors without being able to gather safely in the church's parish hall? Four women deeply committed to this mission, Linda Miller, Linda Carter, Chris Cook and Wendy Cannon , acted quickly to find an answer. They decided to build on an initiative started in the summer of 2017. The Table in the World (TITW),

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operating as an extension of The Table, initially delivered fresh vegetables to several sites serving seniors and the affordable housing communities. By delivering directly to community sites, TITW served those with transportation or health issues that made leaving home to obtain food difficult, issues now worsened by the pandemic. The loss of the community that The Table had fostered over eight years weighed heavily on those affected.

The leaders turned the challenge of COVID-19 into an opportunity to expand the reach of TITW and to engage partners who were also concerned with alleviating hunger in our area. Plans began for weekly deliveries and increases in the amount and variety of fresh produce. This model would support local farmers such as the G. Flores Farm in Westmoreland County, with whom The Table has been doing business since 2013. To secure additional sources, TITW reached out to Virginia Community Food Connections to find two more local farmers and to a wholesaler willing to deliver directly to multiple locations. The Fredericksburg Area CSA offered to provide a portion of the produce for one site.

TITW's leaders worked through the issues of distributing food in a time when health concerns were high, making the ranks of volunteers slim. Each delivery site would be required to safely package and distribute the food to its constituents. On-site managers stepped up to the task. In April, TITW began delivering to locations it served last year. In May, TITW began providing fruit and cheese to Stafford Food Security to support its

By jOANNE rOSE

programs. By the end of July, TITW was delivering to four more locations. In just a few months, TITW doubled its delivery sites and was serving more than 1,600 people each week.

TITW now serves 10 locations, delivering a total of 115 crates each week. Deliveries, which can include fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese and eggs, are tailored to each location. This all comes at a hefty cost. Each week, TITW spends nearly twice what was spent to operate the indoor food ministry. This initiative to spread God's abundance is possible through the generosity of community partners, donors and grant awards. Food brings community together, even in a pandemic, and through the work of many hands and partnerships, TITW is championing the belief that everyone should have access to healthy food.

TITW is grateful for generous grants from The Community Relief Fund of The Community Foundation, The Mid-Atlantic Food Resilience and Access Coalition (MAFRAC), and Phase 37 and Phase CARES Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP).

To donate to The Table, visit www.stgeorgesepiscopal.net/giving (For Fund, select The Table). Checks payable to St. George's Episcopal Church (with The Table in memo line) can be mailed to: 905 Princess Anne Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401.

JoAnne Rose is a Table volunteer and a member of St. George's