ASHLAND - Thanks to the generosity of a local supermarket and its customers, local residents in need who utilize the Ashland food pantry will get some additional food assistance in the near future.
Judi Deitrich, manager of Boyer's Food Market in Ashland, recently presented $1,800 in gift cards to the Ashland Area Ministerium for use in conjunction with its food pantry.
Accepting the donation, comprised of 72 gift cards at $25 each, were the ministerium treasurer, the Rev. Dana Heckman-Beil, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Ashland, and Pam Snyder, who manages the community side of the food pantry.
"The food pantry has a community side and a government side," said Heckman-Beil, with some food in the pantry coming from local donations or purchases by the ministerium, with other food items provided through government surplus programs.
Boyer's has provided the donation to the food pantry in past years, with the amount dependent on what is donated by customers.
"We do a featured item at the register where the customer can donate a dollar or more to the food pantry," said Deitrich. "We did that two weeks before Thanksgiving. What we bring in, Boyer's matches. We brought in $900 in donation from the customers, so Boyer's matched that, bringing the total gift cards to $1,800 for the food pantry."
When the gift cards will be distributed to food pantry users has not been determined, according to Heckman-Beil, but should happen in the near future. The gift cards can be used for food only.
