A group of over 35 students and leaders from Georgia Southern University to spent their spring break serving others in the High Country this past week. The group spent time at Appalachian State University working with students, faculty, and staff, and on both Wednesday and Thursday, half of the group spent the day at Casting Bread Market in Blowing Rock.
Diann Miller, the Operations Manager at Casting Bread said, “They cleaned with us, we organized together, they delivered food to clients, and most of all, we laughed and had a great time serving the community together. These students are amazing.”
The group did an exhaustive spring cleaning of the entire Casting Bread facility by cleaning freezers, sweeping the deck overlooking the middle fork, and organizing all types of shelf stable foods. This work was in advance of Casting Bread transitioning on April 1st from a drive-through pantry to a full-service client choice pantry. For two years, clients have not had the ability to choose food for themselves.
Scott Groman, who serves as the Logistic Coordinator for the pantry, has had a growing concern about food waste at the pantry. He said, “When I prepare a box for someone, I have no idea what they like, what they dislike, or what may trigger an allergy. With prepared boxes, we send out a tremendous amount of waste in every box. When our clients choose their own food, they pick exactly what they want and what they need. We are asked to be good stewards of the food that we are given to share. Reducing waste is one of our priorities; going back to client choice will help us manage our food waste.”
“A core distinctive and strategy of Casting Bread is to give everyone the freedom and dignity of choosing their own food,” said Sam Garrett, the Executive Director.
Garrett went on to say, “We cannot put into words how excited we are to offer client choice at Casting Bread. Our team is excited to spend time with our clients. After April 1st we will have personal shoppers assisting our clients as they shop. As you can imagine, this requires more volunteers. If you are interested in laughing a lot, feeling loved, making your day better, and serving as a volunteer at Casting Bread, visit: www.increasefoodsecurity.org. We would love to meet you and serve beside you.”
Courtesy of Casting Bread
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