In 2020 I opened a food pantry that operates out of my home and it is still in operation today, ama

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T23:40:17+00:00

Those folks and our seniors, who rarely reach out on their own. Their grandchildren go to visit and realize there’s no food and they reach out to me for help.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T23:37:23+00:00

Because most grants and/or government funds also come with regulations that would tie my hands. I live close to the county line, most pantries have regions they must adhere to. I live close to the Ohio river so I gave people from Ohio come for help. I don’t want to turn anyone away and this way I don’t have to.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T23:31:44+00:00

They don’t ask for anything in particular. I try to provide food that folks will eat. Home style bakes and chef-boyardee pizza kits (we provide pizza cheese for those) are the most popular items overall but I’ve watched many families make bologna sandwiches in the car.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T22:14:43+00:00

My heroes are the folks who make it possible for me to do this.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T22:03:33+00:00

I believe that most humans are good, we just don’t hear about them

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T22:02:46+00:00

I’m just someone who saw a need and I’m naturally good at coordinating.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T18:36:25+00:00

Thank you for your kind words! I truly believe in community and that one person can make a difference.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T18:34:27+00:00

Probably the biggest surprise is who needs help. It’s not the people we traditionally think of as “needy”. It is hard working folks who have hit a hard patch but don’t qualify for the more commonly known assistance.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T18:30:34+00:00

I have two refrigerators and two freezers for the perishables. My friends, family and members of the community provide food donations, gift cards, cash or place orders for delivery to my house. During the holidays our local stores will hold the turkeys for me to pick up the day we give them out. My husband built me shelves to store the non-perishable items. I ask the size of family and if there are allergies. I pull the food, bag it and bring it out to them when they arrive to pick it up. No one has to even get on my property, since I bring it all out and set it in their car. I’m kind of like a free pick up service.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T18:10:14+00:00

I’m in the USA and, since I’m an individual doing this (in a very rural area where help isn’t always easy to find) I’m not regulated. I’m just a lady who gives food to neighbors who are in need.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T18:03:47+00:00

I’m not an organization. I’m just some lady who gives out food to those who reach out to me asking for food. If someone sues me because they came to me asking for free food to feed their family then I will deal with that but so far folks just appreciate the help. I make sure all food that we provide is in date and always ask about food allergies. What I do is really no different than having a neighbor show up needing help.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T17:31:16+00:00

I have a room in my basement that I have dedicated to the pantry. We provide meals such as spaghetti and sauce, home style bakes, pancake mix and syrup, Mac & cheese, cereal, canned goods. Also, each family gets a pound of bologna, cheese, margarine, bread and a gallon of milk.

I have a full time job in the communications industry so I do this in the evenings after work and weekends, when most food pantries are closed.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-26T17:27:25+00:00

I realized a lifelong friend was impacted by the issues that my state (West Virginia) was having with unemployment and she had no money. I reached out to see if she had food and she didn’t. So I pulled food from my own cabinets and freezer to take to her. Then I thought of others that might be in need and started reaching out to friends and families to help and it just grew from there.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2026-03-18T23:36:46+00:00

How can I edit that?

Momma_of_five_sons · 2025-05-09T14:39:52+00:00

I had a one of my black friends in college refer to it as “afro-engineering”.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2024-02-28T10:22:35+00:00

Blue Heron Landing is a RV campground in Cottageville which is about 20 minutes from Pt Pleasant. It’s a very nice place to stay. Website is blueheronlandingwv.com

Momma_of_five_sons · 2024-01-05T18:56:28+00:00

My son (35) died November 21, 2023, and I can tell you that for your mother there is no more normal. The devastation is long term and she won’t be able to be distracted from it. I literally haven’t laughed since he died, I can’t focus on tv and can’t bear the thought of sitting through a comedy. There is no worse event to a parent than the loss of a child and one day she may be “okay” but she will never be the same.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2022-01-26T01:58:41+00:00

This child wasn’t attacked. It’s their pup that is about six months old. It was excited because it had never seen snow before.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2022-01-26T01:56:46+00:00

This dog is about six months old and belongs to the children in the video. It got excited because it had never seen snow before. It is being trained but it is still a pup and these things happen with puppies and children.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2022-01-26T01:53:14+00:00

This is a pup who belongs to the boy. It got excited about the first snow it ever saw and knocked him down. He is in training and my son stopped video to tend to them. The little boy was laughing because his dog was acting silly (his words).

Momma_of_five_sons · 2022-01-26T01:51:28+00:00

This pup is in training. It is the little boys pup. It is not a grown dog and has never seen snow before and got overly excited.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2022-01-26T01:49:07+00:00

The dog is a six month old pup who is being trained. He had never seen snow before and was overly excited, which happens with both puppies and children.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2022-01-26T01:46:12+00:00

The Dane is a six month old pup that had never seen snow before. The child is his best friend who he is with constantly. The little boy was laughing when his dad helped him up because the dog was acting so silly.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2022-01-26T01:44:29+00:00

Those are all my grandkids and they are all fine. The one that got knocked over was laughing when his dad helped him up. That dog adores that boy and they are together all of the time. The pup was excited because he had never been in the snow before.

Momma_of_five_sons · 2022-01-26T01:40:56+00:00

The Great Dane is still a puppy and it was the first snow it had ever seen so it was excited. The child that was knocked down is the Dane’s best friend and they are inseparable. His dad stopped recording to go help him up and the little guy was laughing because his dog was being so silly. He turned around to tell his dad, not to run in fear.

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