By Taylor Boyd
Thanks to a $7,000 donation from the Stuart Rotary Club, the Patrick County Community Food Bank will be able to include turkeys to clients in its Thanksgiving food boxes this year.
Executive Director Rhonda Pruitt said the nonprofit had initially planned to skip turkeys due to rising costs and a drop in donations.
“We have $20,000 less in donations than last year. We just didn’t have the funds to do that and still remain financially stable for next year,” she said.
Pruitt said the food bank spent more than $7,000 last year on 450–500 turkeys and was quoted $10,000 this year for the same quantity.
The Rotary Club’s donation came as a surprise. “It was really a shock when they called and said, ‘Hey, we want to present you with this check,’” she said.
In addition to turkeys, the Thanksgiving boxes will include traditional items such as sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and apple pie filling.
Food bank members are excited that the organization can continue to distribute turkeys because the initial decision to not do it was a difficult one. “It’s one that we really didn’t like to make, but it’s one that we felt we had to make to survive. So now we’re excited we can get what we need and still be able to be okay for next year,” Pruitt said.
She added the community’s response to the decision to include turkeys also has been overwhelmingly positive. “People on Facebook are saying, ‘Thank God we live where we do.’ It’s not the first time we’ve heard that,” she said.
Rotary Club President Christie Bentley said the donation was prompted by the food bank’s Facebook post about not being able to provide turkeys.
“The Rotarians felt strongly that they wanted to support the Patrick County Food Bank and help provide the turkeys for this season,” Bentley said.
The club has a history of supporting the food bank, but noted this year the need is particularly great. The club typically donates around $1,000 annually, funding efforts through events like the Patrick County Agricultural Fair and the Stuart Beach Music Festival.
“Thankfully it was a successful fundraising year and we had the funds available to do it when the need presented itself,” Bentley said. She noted the food bank does a tremendous job with the resources it has.
“I know it was a very tough decision for them to decide they weren’t going to be able to have the funds to do that this year. I’m glad that they posted it on Facebook, and we had an opportunity to respond,” she said.
To help with its funding situation, Pruitt said the food bank started a GoFundMe page last month. However, it had raised $400 of its $25,000 goal by Oct. 8.
Pruitt said the group is also considering a variety of fundraising events, including raffles and a possible barbeque meal.
“We’re just basically trying to make up the money that we didn’t get in donations this year so that we can feel better about going into next year ready to serve everyone again,” she said.
Pruitt believes the decline in donations is caused by several factors, including increased prices.
“For just normal people who go to work every single day and those that get a Social Security check – it’s hard to buy what you need with the prices that we have nowadays. So, I get it,” she said.
Several lifelong donors have also passed away.
“We have a lady who used to give us a couple hundred dollars a month, and she’s in the nursing home. So we don’t get that money anymore. We have people that will send us a check every month of $25 here, $50 here, I mean that all adds up and it makes a difference,” she said.
The food bank is receiving $10,000 this fiscal year from Patrick County. Those funds come in $2,500 increments every quarter of the year. Pruitt plans to request funding from the county next year as well.
“The Town of Stuart has been very forthcoming in previous years, so we hope to attend a Town Council meeting in the future and propose it to them as well,” she added.
In addition to the donations going to help those in need, Pruitt said funds also help pay for the group’s phone and light bills. “We don’t get special rates because we’re a non-profit. We still pay that just like the normal business would do,” she said.
Pruitt said she feels blessed to live in this area as the food bank can count on the county and its residents to help when possible, as it receives donations from churches, individuals, and businesses.
“It’s just right now it’s a struggle” for everyone. “I mean I feel like every time you go to the grocery store it’s higher, and it doesn’t matter where you go,” she said.
She also added that the food bank’s mission has grown more urgent since the Disaster Relief Food Ministry ceased deliveries in the area and as SNAP restrictions tighten.
Those interested in donating or volunteering can contact the food bank at (276) 694-6300 or (276) 806-4152, or via email at PatrickCountyFoodBank@gmail.com. More information is available on Facebook at Facebook.com/PatrickCoFoodBank.
