Since this Newsletter covers two months, spotlighted here are not one, not two, but three absolutely amazing volunteers, without whom the Pantry would not be able to function.  Debbie Fantel and husband Ken are pictured here with Debbie's brother Jay (at right), making their support of Daily Bread a truly family affair.

 

While it would be tempting to seed family rivalry by picking just one of them, even I cannot bring myself to do that. They are a family within the wider Daily Bread family and should be honored as team. For the few that don't know, Debbie pretty much lives at the Pantry - packing bags pre-distribution, multi-tasking during the actual distributions, and generally keeping the ship on course. Normally I'd uncharitably ascribe such dedication to wanting to get away from one's spouse, but Ken is at the Pantry almost as much as Debbie. Even more perplexing, and despite the close quarters,  no marital discord is ever detected. A mystery and a miracle!

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Jay, who drives what undoubtedly is the cleanest pickup truck I have ever seen (Ken would win in the full-size SUV category),  perhaps flies slightly more under the radar for folks who volunteer mainly at distributions. But Jay is a one-man logistics machine, transporting food back and forth from their storage facility (this very same gang donates space for our use), unloading the Food Bank truck, and doing a million other things that help make the  Pantry run smoothly. Jay even puts up with my hopeless attempts at stacking stuff, even though I know it almost kills him to see me do it.

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I'm just scratching the surface here,  but I will spare further blushes from this incredibly generous but modest and unassuming bunch. Thank you for all you do.

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Just let me close by saying if you ever need storage, and the Pantry isn't taking up all available spare lockers, South St. Self Storage rivals even Jay's and Ken's vehicles in terms of cleanliness. Truly a first-rate facility on all levels.