The Green Apple (formerly The Pantry) is a multi-faceted non-profit, serving those with the greatest need. Our volunteers and donors represent faith communities, social clubs, agencies, individuals and businesses. The Green Apple provides holistic aid to our neighbors in need by supplying them, with food and personal care items that they desperately need.
Our Story
The Green Apple started as a ministry of the John Knox Presbyterian Church in 1985 in response to growing community needs. As the Pantry continued to grow, we joined the Access Pantry Network in 1991 and finally incorporated as a separate 501c3 in 2014. As the third largest pantry in Kent County, we cover a 45 square mile area in the southern portion of the county. The Green Apple operates on a very lean budget, a quarter the size of many pantries of similar size and without the luxury of the safety of an endowment fund or significant personal property. From providing a couple days’ worth of groceries for 10 families a week, to providing a week’s worth of groceries for 280+ families a month, we’ve grown to meet the needs of the community.
How we Serve
Food Insecurity Relief
The neighbors we serve are able to visit The Green Apple once a month, yet most visit an average of three times a year. As a USDA Commodities distribution site, we reach another 1,600 food-insecure households a year, including a large number of fixed-income seniors.
Healthy Lifestyles Promotion
In 2020 we started a community garden with the intent to grow a variety of vegetables that our neighbors benefit from. This is an ongoing project that we will further develop and improve upon.
Sharing of Community Resources
Staff and volunteers take the time to work one-on-one with our neighbors, often providing them with referrals to additional services and resources. We are a DHS Navigator Site and work with neighbors to connect them with SNAP and other assistance that might be available to them. We assist our neighbors in connecting with Veterans Services, Disability Advocates and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services. We facilitate paperwork and make referrals for services and goods that are outside of our capacity to provide, such as diapers, formula, housing and furniture needs.
Seasonal and Holiday Assistance
We also provide seasonal assistance to make the holidays bright for our neighbors. We help connect hundreds of donors with families in need through the Access Holiday Giving Network for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Building for the Future
When John Knox began providing food to those in need in 1985, The Pantry women in the congregation worked out of their car trunks providing for a few neighbors in need. Gradually, The Pantry expanded to a closet, a room and then to utilizing the entire basement level of the church. The Green Apple grew from a handful of families a month to 280+. Providing groceries and services to that many families requires a great deal of manpower. In 2022, our volunteers provided over 800 hours per month to distribute product we receive from our generous community donors, both individuals, churches and businesses.
Compassion Responds
To our mission, The Green Apple Pantry needs the community with gifts of time, talent and treasure. The Pantry needs your help as it takes on the compassionate task of transforming this community, one life at a time.
Our hope is to partner with you in creating a hunger-free community.
Take the next step and connect for change.
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