The Household Pantry – Because It’s Christmas Charity PLUS Giveaway Winners

For our Because It’s Christmas Kids & Charity Giveaway, every prize that was included in the giveaway, an identical item was donated to charity. Alyson and I each selected a local charity and roughly divided the items in half and each charity got some wonderful toys to donate to some needy kids.

The charity I selected is the The First United Methodist Church of Lowell‘s Household Pantry. The Household Pantry is located near me in Northwest Indiana and I actually got to see first-hand how it works and meet the wonderful ladies who run it and volunteer there. Currently, the program is headed up by Barb Lindemer and operates every Tuesday.

I asked Barb to write up a short history/description so that we can all understand what the Household pantry does and who it serves.

The First United Methodist Church of Lowell’s Household Pantry is unique because it is the only non-food pantry in the area. Needy clients are provided with free personal grooming, cleaning and paper products. Nearly 200 households per month are served from the Tri-Creek, Cedar Lake, DeMotte, Roselawn, Lake Village area.

The volunteers operate the pantry every Tuesday from 10 – 12 am and 5 – 7 pm. Funding comes through donations from the church membership, district grants, community donations and various fund raising events. We also make sure our clients know where they can access other resources and services in the area with an attitude of compassion and generosity.

The products are purchased primarily from the local ALCO store who offers us a product discount program that enables us to get the most from every dollar. Products are often donated also. In addition to the basic product line the pantry offers several tables of miscellaneous items (clothing, food, books, toys, etc.) for clients to choose from.

Tami Boggs initiated this mission project approximately 4 years ago. I was asked to be chairperson 3 years ago. Myself and the all volunteer staff continue to be amazed and blessed by the support that exists for the pantry, not only in our church but in the community. The funds and resources arrive through hard work but also through prayer and faith in our common purpose: To make a difference in the lives of those who are experiencing hardship.

Submitted by:
Barbara Lindemer
Church phone number #: 219-696-9219

When I visited, you could tell not only the passion and concern the volunteers had for the people they help, but also the personal satisfaction they get from being able to help needy families. And many of these families return weekly or monthly and the volunteers get to know them personally, learn about their situations, and come to care about their families and it really seems to be a labor of love. You could feel it in the air!

Last week they began handing out all the wonderful toys that were donated through our Because It’s Christmas Kids & Charity Giveaway. The Household Pantry received items from All Star Buddies, ee Publishing (Nana Star), HABA, Petit Baby and Creativity for Kids (Faber-Castell). Both HABA and Nana Star sent additional items to what they had originally donated. Everyone was so generous to begin with, but Nana Star not only sent the Nana Star and the Moonman book and Moonman Lovey, they also sent the original Nana Star book and a Nana Star Posable Doll! HABA, in addition to the Duck Pull Toy, Stack the Trix Mix Pull Toy, Caslino Fabric Blocks, Sleepy Princess & the Pea Game and the Terra Kids Headlamp, also sent about seven other items including some games and some jewelry kits. The generosity amazed the volunteers at the Household Pantry and I’m sure will help some needy kids have an extra special Christmas this year.

By the time I arrived at the Household Pantry last week, they had already had the opportunity to hand out over half of the donated toys, and there were some camera malfunctions so the photo I took shows only a small portion of the donated toys.

Since visiting, my family has also donated some gently used items and some new toys to the Household Pantry and my friend and neighbor has donated some new hat and mitten sets to them as well. I know we will continue to keep them in mind throughout the year and I hope to also be able to donate some of my time there as well. It truly is a worthy cause and I am thrilled that our wonderful sponsors were so incredibly generous.

If you are interested in making a donation to the Household Pantry, you can contact Barb through the First United Methodist Church at 219-696-9219, or drop me an email and I’ll make sure to put you in touch with her.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you all for participating. Thank you to the wonderful sponsors as well, please consider their quality products when shopping for your Christmas Gifts this year!