Last Thursday, we were pleased to host the Olathe Chamber of Commerce Coffee networking event in Fellowship Hall. It was a great opportunity to share the work that our 100+ volunteers and neighborhood partners are doing to serve the food insecure in Johnson, Wyandotte, and Miami counties. Thanks to Kathy Stamm, Julie Joeckel, Linda Tiller, Linda Hauck, Tom Gorby, Rick Chambers, Todd Patterson, Jim Linker, and Michele Ross for supporting the event with over 60 local business leaders. We also had the opportunity to share information about our upcoming Volley to H.O.P.E. fundraiser. A special shout out to Mickey the Cotton Candy Man (Mickey Levey) who is donating equipment and ingredients for our event and the Evergreen Community of Johnson County Nursing home (in Olathe) who donated a “Doggone Good” Gift Basket for the Volley to H.O.P.E. Silent Auction. ​

In 2021, our average month served 46 new families. These are families that have never been to New Hope Food Pantry since inception in April 2011. Our busiest month in 2021 for new families was October, with 60 new families registering. Our slowest month for new families was April in which only 33 new families registered all month long.

2022 is starting out with a BANG! In January, we registered 61 new families. NHFP is also 3 times more likely to be busier in January than we were in December, and this year was no exception. February is even a shorter month, however as of yesterday, we've already signed up 47 new families and we still have 5 business days left in this month!

Just as a reminder, our food donations go down in the winter after the holidays are over and our number of families in need goes up. We are very short on fresh produce, dairy products & pasta sauce. Thank you for the community support!!

The Annual Fundraiser is coming back this year after being off the last 2 years due to COVID19. With the long break in between, we have lost many volunteers and are needing help on our Fundraising Committee. If you, or someone you know might be interested in serving the Lord by bringing your talents to the table to volunteer for a short term project, then WE NEED YOU! 

We need a variety of roles filled, so whatever your gifts, we will try to find a place for you to help! Please contact Caylon Umphrey, the Executive Director immediately at 913-782-0955. Last year our cost per person was $2.12, which means a $10 donation will feed a family of 4 for days. If you think you can help,  you probably can! We look forward to bringing you into the large family of volunteers at New Hope Food Pantry!

Huge thank you to Chick Fil-A in Olathe who is the newest restaurant to donate food to our cause of feeding those in need in our area! New Hope Food Pantry will be sending a truck twice a week (Monday & Thursday mornings) to pick up food donated this incredible store to help others! Mmmmmmm! There is a reason the line wraps around the building! They have delicious sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Chick Fil-A has amazingly delicious chicken, in case we haven't made ourselves clear!

Show your appreciation to Chick Fil-A by stopping by and purchasing a sandwich, as they truly are trying to "build a business, shape a culture and invest in a better future".  Chick Fil-A, Olathe is located in Olathe Point shopping center at 12087 S Black Bob Rd, Olathe, KS 66062.

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It's surprising to some that January is three times more likely to busier than it is in December! 2022 is on track to be no exception. We are nearing December totals and we aren't even done with the month yet! It may also be surprising to some to learn that our donations have drastically dropped off also! The supply chain issues are making winter donations from grocery stores go down as people have less choice to pick from already which doesn't leave much surplus for us to glean from, plus we don't have all the gardens donating like we do in the summer either.

Our fresh produce donations are down to very little. One afternoon recently, the only produce we had to hand out were limes however, it was a very busy afternoon that day! Twice a month, we can go pick up whatever produce might be available at a Mobile Shopping Floor, but there is never a guarantee how much will be there. Our meat donations have been down too.  We have had a few calls from people wondering if a bag was left because they didn't have but 1 piece of meat. We explain that we are an emergency food pantry which means we give out what we have at the time in order to help people get through a short crunch without food. 

This year, New Hope Food Pantry partnered with Centerwell Senior Primary Care to host a Senior Mobile Thanksgiving Basket giveaway on Tuesday, 11/23/2021.  Thank you to all the Vendors who brought food to donate to Seniors for a free meal that the seniors can take home to cook. The meal included a turkey, mashed potatos, corn, green beans, peas, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, and a $10 gift certificate to a local grocery store. 

Participating vendors were New Hope Food Pantry, Centerwell Senior Primary Care, Kindred Home Health, Eric Anderson, Visiting Angels, Peavler & Associates, Z3 Technologies, Evergreen, Life Care Center in Osawatomie, and Advocates for Seniors.  Thank you to ALL who helped out!

Ivar’s Soup and Sauce Company, Mukilteo, Washington is recalling 14,968 sleeves of refrigerated Kettle Classic Clam Chowder With Uncured Bacon, Costco Item #1270666, packaged in 2-24oz Sleeved Packs, because of the possibility that the product may contain hard, sharp opaque plastic pieces.
The Ivar’s Kettle Classic Clam Chowder With Uncured Bacon, Costco Item #1270666, was distributed to Costco stores exclusively for retail purchase by consumers in the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
The Ivar’s Kettle Classic Clam Chowder soup is packaged in 24 oz clear plastic cups, in a double pack surrounded by a printed paperboard sleeve and has a UPC 0 30383 19649 6.  The ready-to-eat soups have a Use By Date of 12-22-2021 printed on the bottom of the sleeve, and on the edge of the individual cup lids. See photo of product below.
No illnesses or injuries have been reported to date.
The problem was discovered on 10-17-21 when a consumer found a piece of plastic in the container they purchased and notified Ivar’s.  No injuries were reported.  The piece of plastic found by the consumer is in the shape of a half circle with some of the center missing, with edges that are sharp and pointed.  The diameter of the circle is approximately 1 ½”.  It is possible that the remainder of the circular plastic is a similarly intact piece or numerous smaller pieces.
This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The product should be removed from store shelves if present.  Product remaining in the refrigerators of consumers containing the Use By Date of 12-22-2021 should be thrown away or returned to the store where it was purchased for a full refund. Consumers are urged not to eat the product.
Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-425-493-1402, Monday-Friday, 8am-5 pm pacific time zone.

New Hope Food Pantry has long since been a member of the Olathe Chamber. We've hosted Thursday Morning Coffees over the years as well as attended many of the weekly coffees at the multitude of places that have hosted over the years. Last month it was hosted at Olathe City Hall and the Mayor John Bacon spoke. It is a really fun part of this organization to be able to go out and meet people in the community and help raise awareness for what's going on at the pantry.

If you are gifted at talking to people and would be interested in a way to get involved, consider being a community advocate for the pantry and attend a couple of networking meetings regularly to get to know people and build relationships with them promoting the pantry.  

Mayor John Bacon video - ​https://rumble.com/vmzbp3-olathe-mayor-john-bacon.html