Putnam 4-H Junior Leaders provide non-food items

Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Junior Leader members (from center) Sonora Erwin, Emma Summers and Kedrick Coon help load non-food pantry items while Purdue’s Mindy Duckett and Kate Berry of St. Andrew’s non-food pantry share conversation.
Courtesy photo

Six local pantries who are all members of the Putnam County Food Pantry Coalition came to the Purdue Extension Putnam County office recently to pick up non-food pantry items. These items included soaps, shampoos, skin care and other products to help local residents who are current pantry clients.

The Putnam County 4-H Junior Leaders obtained a $1,000 grant from the Nola Gentry Trust Fund of the Indiana 4-H Foundation. Nola Gentry was a very strong supporter and advocate of Indiana 4-H who resided in Tippecanoe County, and had served on many boards, including the Indiana 4-H Foundation, prior to her passing in 2018.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation announced that Nola Gentry Trust funds up to $1,000 per county had been earmarked for county applications while funds lasted.

Purdue Extension Putnam County staff assisted with the Junior Leader grant application. Both Hendricks and Putnam counties were successful in receiving funds, and Purdue Community Wellness Coordinator Mindy Duckett assisted by placing a $2,000 bulk pallet order and splitting the economically purchased items equally between both counties based on their needs for particular products.

Junior Leader event coordinator Kim Beadles, in her role as education program coordinator, worked with Duckett to set up a pickup day for the food pantries, arranging Junior Leader members to help sort and load items into vehicles.

This function was important, since many events like Supermarket Sweep that the Junior Leaders had helped with last year were canceled this year due to the pandemic. These pantries were able to receive these items when they were really beginning to need them.

Visit www.extension.purdue.edu/putnam or contact the local Purdue Extension office at 653-8411 for more information regarding this week’s column topic or to RSVP for upcoming events. It is always best to call first to assure items are ready when you arrive and to RSVP for programs.

Upcoming Events:

Sept. 15, 22, 29 – Steps in September – Big Walnut Sports Park – 9 a.m.

Sept. 19 – Life Cycles Bicycle Donation Day – Greencastle Farmers Market

Sept. 28 – ServSafe food managers exam – limited space – 9 a.m.-12 p.m.; register at: https://purdue.edu/servsafe/workshops

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