As published in the South County Independent
To the editor:
In the past four years that the Hunger Task Force has been in existence, it is the contribution of individuals that has made our work so successful. One such individual is Teresa Tanzi, who single-handedly created an initiative to deliver fresh vegetables to the Jonnycake Center last summer in conjunction with the generosity of the farmers at the Farmer's Daughter in South Kingstown.
Teresa was visiting the farm stand on Route 138 one day and overheard the employees talking about how they had more corn each day than they knew what to do with. Without skipping a beat, Teresa introduced herself as a Hunger Task Force member from the Jonnycake Center and offered to pick up the corn to bring to the clients at the food pantry in Peace Dale.
Well, within a week, word was out. The Jonnycake Center's clients would come in each day and await the bounty of produce fresh from the farm. By the end of the season, Teresa had delivered more than one ton of fresh fruits and vegetables from the Farmer's Daughter to the pantry and transformed the monotonous row of canned goods into a mini farmer's market. This year, the clients are benefitting from a wonderful growing season that produced a bounty of tomatoes that the farmers at the Farmer's Daughter are picking solely for the Jonnycake pantry. Straight from the vine to our door, quite a treat!
The meaning of community in Webster's Dictionary is "a unified body of individuals." We all benefit when individuals take the time to create the links that hold a community together. These simple actions define who we are, and where we are headed. As an organization that relies on others, we want to thank Teresa Tanzi for her committment to building up our community, and the Farmer's Daughter for its generosity in sustaining the community.
Kathleen Gorman
co-chairwoman South Kingstown Hunger Task Force
Wakefield
