April, 2010

Happy Spring! Isn’t it amazing the new life that pops up during this time of the year. Already the grass is green, the crocuses are coming out and configurations of geese are making their way back into New Hampshire to spend the summer with us. Pretty soon I will be planting my vegetables which I started as seeds in my makeshift greenhouse just a few days ago. Indeed spring is my favorite season because the power of resurrection is made known through the wonder of gardening.

Gardening is a tender art that requires skill, patience and faith. It also takes a bit of flexibility. With each year of planting, sowing and reaping, I have learned what plants work and don’t work in the New Hampshire soil. With each passing year, I’ve had to rotate where I planted each vegetable and flower so as to maximize its growth while preventing disease. I have also had to adapt to the environmental changes surrounding the garden regards to the amount of rainfall, heat, sunlight, etc which changes from year to year. Some of what I grow in my garden is the same each year such as tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce, however much of what I plant changes because of the environmental changes surrounding the garden.

The church is like a garden in need of the same care and flexibility in order for it to grow to an abundant harvest. There are some elements of the church that are tried and true like my tomatoes and cucumbers. However just as surrounding environmental changes is a fact of life for gardens, so it is true of churches as well. The communities of Sanbornton and its surrounding towns have changed rapidly in the last five years. These external changes have caused internal changes within the walls of our church community. For example, where at one time, word of mouth was a sufficient enough means of spreading the news of the church, we now have to use other mediums of communication such as internet, email and other electronic means to effectively share the news of our community. Where at one time we only had to draw our membership from the town proper of Sanbornton; we now have members who live as far away as Laconia, Franklin and Northfield coming to our church.

All of these changes continually bring up this important question: what is God calling us to be as a faith community in this time and in this place given the rapidly changing environment that our church is living in right now? In the next month each leadership group of our church is going to contemplate this question as part of their regular meeting agenda. The hoped for is that from this prayerful discernment we can begin to see where God is calling us to plant our seeds to bring to the fruition an abundant harvest. This is part of the process of discovering a new identity, which is one of the five interim developmental tasks upon which we are embarking in this transitional time together. In being open to the spirit and where it is leading this church, we will be able to know who we are as a community of faith and what we are in mission.

Shalom,

Pastor Jean

FROM THE MODERATOR

April is one of my favorite months of the year for 2 reasons. The first is the arrival of Spring with it’s warm weather, green grass, and later daylight hours! The second reason is Easter of course! Not the commercialized version, but the Sanbornton Congregational Church UCC version. You know, where we have time-honored traditional Easter Vigils, inspirational Lenten services, evocative and ageless music from our well practiced choirs and pew-shaking pipe organ, Easter dresses and well-dressed gents, Easter Sunrise services on the hill, followed by a hearty breakfast of church members favorite family recipes, and then our wonderful regular Easter morning service with a great big crowd!

One of the things that I was delighted to observe this month was that the Easter Breakfast crowd had grown significantly since last year, and that there were a lot of new faces, as well as familiar faces that came to the breakfast for the first time. The one who surprised me the most was our organist, Doug Embree, who let me know that in his 28 years of participating in our church, it was his very first Easter breakfast with us!

These signs of continuing traditions, positive changes and growth are all wonderful to witness and be a part of. And when you contemplate the message of Easter of re-birth and renewal, and you see Spring starting to it’s wonderful hold of the landscape, and even our economy starting it’s own sort of re-birth, it makes one glad to be part of such a wonderful community! And let me add that the wonderful community is once again made possible by the generous donation of SO MANY different people’s time and talent. Even when there was talk of possibly cutting the hours back on the Vigil this year due to the difficulty of finding volunteers for the late night hours, the roster amazingly filled and we had enough volunteers to go non-stop from Good Friday to Easter Sunday! And did you see all those Easter Lillies?!!!

We are off to a great start in April, but if you weren’t able to make any of these events (or even if you were at everything!) be sure and join us later this month at the Christian Education’s talent show; a good time will surely be had by all. God Bless!

David Henderson, Church Moderator

APRIL CALENDAR 2010

APRIL 11^th WORSHIP 10:00am; Seniors Dinner 1^st Baptist 12:15pm; CE meeting after services

APRIL 14^TH COUNCIL 7:00pm Undercroft

APRIL 15^th SEARCH COMMITTEE MEETING 6:30pm Undercroft

NO CHOIR PRACTICES

APRIL 16^TH Church School cooks for Haiti Fundraiser

APRIL 17^TH HAITI FUNDRAISING TALENT SHOW AND DESSERT BY THE CHURCH SCHOOL 6:30pm Undercroft

APRIL 18^TH WORSHIP 10:00am

APRIL 21^TH BOOK GROUP ARLENE INGELFRITZ’S 6:30pm DEATH OF VISHNU

APRIL 22^nd SPIRITUALITY GROUP 5:00pm Undercroft

APRIL 25^th WORSHIP 10:00am

Board of Trustees Report

Let there be light! Thanks to Will Ellis Electric, we now have all the lights working in the Undercroft! New electronic ballasts and energy efficient bulbs were put in seven fixtures that were inoperable, or only partially working. Also, Frank Baker has put the steeple and the back of the church on his painting schedule for this Spring!!!

Our ‘Bring a Rake day’ is scheduled for Saturday, April 17, beginning at 9: am. The Trustees invite you to bring your rake, work gloves (if you need them), perhaps your morning coffee cup (all ingredients will be provided). A special thanks to Jonathan Marchant who volunteered to revitalize all the flower beds and shrubs! Many thanks, Jonathan ....

The Trustees voted to appoint two new members to the Centre Cemetery Committee. Many thanks to Karey Caldwell and Paula Ghergia for volunteering to be members of this lively and active team ...

Wally Strauch, Chair

TALENT SHOW TO BENEFIT HAITI

Our Sunday School will present their talents on Saturday, April 17th at 6:30 to benefit the children of Haiti through UNICEF’s work in Haiti. You won’t want to miss this special night ..... it will be a delightful surprise to all who come. Children, teachers, parents will be preparing cookies to be enjoyed by all. Please sign up in the Undercroft or call or e-mail a Christian Education member: Shirley Strauch, Sue Long, Mary Morris, Marg Whedon, Sarah Harbrook, or Michelle Chapman.

UNICEF has been working in Haiti for 49 years to help children and their families in a desperately poor part of our world. Recently there was a report in the Wall Street Journal about the earthquake damage to Haiti stating the country calculated they would need $11.5 billion over the next three years to get Haiti back on its feet. Right now they are in the rainy and hurricane season as thousands are crowded into spontaneous camps in Port-au-Prince and the countryside.

Many children have found themselves alone and need to be housed, fed and cared for. UNICEF has set up interim child protection centers as they search for parents and relatives. There is much to be done in Haiti, and our children want to help them. Donations made will be sent to UNICEF to benefit the Haitian program.

CHILDREN’S SUNDAY IS MAY 23, 2010

During Worship Service on May 23rd the Sunday School will be sharing some stories and songs with the congregation. Several children will receive Bibles as they transition from third grade to fourth grade. It will be a special day so come and help celebrate our children.

Lenten and Easter Services

Rev. Jean O’Bresky led a series of short prayer services that included taize, repeated chanting, lectio divina, repeated readings of the same scripture, and periods of silent meditation, on Thursday evenings in February and March during Lent. She brought her guitar and played it to help us with the chanting.

Thursday, April 1, was Maundy Thursday. 37 of us gathered at 6 p.m. for our traditional meal, a pot luck buffet that featured a variety of Mediterranean foods. We dined on fish, lamb, chicken, pasta, vegetable casseroles, couscous, salads, olives, mushrooms, and breads. Pastor Jean celebrated communion at the table at the meal’s end, speaking the words of Jesus to the apostles. We passed the bread to one another with the words, “Body of Christ broken for you” and dipped the bread in the cup as we handed the cup along with the words, “Blood of Christ poured out for you.” After communion we gathered upstairs in the sanctuary for the Tenebrae Service. A single lighted candle, the Christ Candle stood on the altar. On a table, in front of the stairs to the altar, stood 12 lighted candles. Pastor O’Bresky led us in prayer and hymns. We sang “Ah, Holy Jesus” and “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.” Twelve members of the congregation, representing the twelve disciples, read passages of scripture from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that told the story of Christ’s passion, His agony in the garden, betrayal, arrest, trials and death on the cross. As each passage of scripture was read, a candle was extinguished and the lights in the church were dimmed. At the end of the twelfth reading, the Christ Candle and the remaining lights were put out. The congregation prayed in silence and darkness. Then from the back of the church, Kim Bossey’s rich soprano voice rose in the spiritual, “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” When the hymn ended, the Christ Candle was relit; we recited the Lord’s prayer and left the sanctuary and the church in silence and semi-darkness.

The sky was red with the approaching sunrise as about thirty-five people gathered behind the church for the Easter morning Sunrise Service. Pastor Jean O’Bresky presided and Marg Whedon played her guitar to accompany the three hymns that we sang, “Morning Has Broken,” In the Bulb There is a Flower,” and “To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn).” We prayed the prayer of the Native American Indian Chief, Seattle, to the Great Spirit of Light, as we turned to the East; to the Great Spirit of Love, as we turned to the North; to the Great Life-Giving Spirit, as we turned to the West; and to the Great Spirit of Creation, as we turned to the South. We prayed to remember that God always gives the gift of a new day, an opportunity for a new beginning; we prayed for courage, strength and endurance; we prayed to remember that one day we must meet God; and we prayed that God would permit us to grow closer to Him through the wonders of His creation. We rejoiced in the sunshine, the warmth of the morning, and especially in the knowledge that Jesus, who had died, was alive again, giving us the promise of eternal life. When the Service ended, all were invited to the Easter Breakfast in the Undercroft, a sumptuous buffet prepared by Frank Baker, David Henderson and Patsy Wells. The meal included quiche, scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, roast beef hash, biscuits with sausage gravy, fruit, orange juice, and three kinds of coffee.

The Easter Sunday Service was held in the sanctuary at 10 a.m. A host of Easter lilies, given in memory and appreciation of loved ones, decorated the altar. Pastor Jean presided. Douglas Embree was at the organ, and Minister of Music Dennis Akerman led the Junior and Senior Choirs. The Junior Choir sang a “Spring Carol” by Hal Hopson; the Senior Choir sang a beautiful Dutch Carol, “This Joyous Eastertide,” arranged by Philip Ledger. Because this was the first Sunday of the month, the Sacrament of Holy Communion was given to the 100 persons who were present. Pastor Jean’s sermon reflected on the joy which Mary Magdalene and the apostles felt when they realized that Jesus was truly risen from the dead. This joy was reflected also in the congregational singing of Easter hymns throughout the Service and in the Organ Prelude and Postlude of Easter music.

These Easter Services, focusing on the death and new life of Christ, remind us that we have experienced a kind of death in the departure of our beloved Pastor Patrice. And now we are working toward finding a new life for our church as we search for a new settled pastor.

A Glimpse Into My Trip to the Holy Land by Shirley Powers

In the wee hours of the morning, millions of sparkling stars dotted the velvety black sky, accented by the shining yellow moon. In this setting was it possible I was actually riding on the back of a camel up the side of Mount Sinai??

Much earlier in the day, our travel group left Cairo by bus, crossed the Suez Canal, and headed south through arid desert country. Our destination was to reach the Morgenland Hotel near Mount Sinai. At 5:30 we stopped for lunch in a small village and were introduced to falafel and shwaerma…..very delicious. They were to be our staple lunches for many days. Soon we resumed our journey. As there was desert all around us, it didn’t matter that it was dark. Only occasionally did we see the light of an oncoming vehicle or the lighted windows in a small town. Sleep failed us even though we knew a long, exciting day was ahead.

Finally, about nine o’clock the bus stopped in front of the hotel. Refreshing ourselves quickly, we hurried to the dining room at 9:30 for a beautiful buffet. We did not linger long because most of us needed to catch a few winks before the morrow.

After about two and a half hours sleep we boarded the bus at 2:00 a.m. to take us to St. Catherine’s Monastery at the base of Mount Sinai. The only way to climb the mountain, we had been told, was to go very early in the morning in order to reach the summit in time to watch the sunrise. We could go three-quarters of the way by camel and then were to hike the final thrust of seven hundred and fifty uneven and almost perpendicular stone steps.

At the camel corral, Michael, our New Hampshire leader, said a few words in Arabic to our Egyptian guide, who in turn made a couple of comments to the head of the camel drivers. Immediately, I was whisked away and was soon securely on the back of a camel. With a couple of “click, clicks” we were on our way. I am sure Michael had asked for a gentle camel and driver in consideration of my new hip and my age, the oldest in our group by several years.

As we started, the forward and back motion of the camel caused the back pommel to dig into my back, so I held onto the front horn with my right hand and the rear one with my left hand for protection. Soon the trail started upward and the Bedouin driver spoke to me in language I couldn’t understand, but motioned for me to bring my left hand to the front and the ride would be more comfortable. He was correct. Sometimes the trail joined the hikers trail and the driver often had to call out “Camel, camel,” so people would move to the side to let us pass. Other times he took routes that only the camels used. Just once did one of the camel’s feet slip as he stepped on a loose rock.

I strained to hear the voices of other people talking in the dark. I heard French and learned later there were many Russian pilgrims on the climb. The only English was from three of my fellow travelers as they passed. Forward and back, forward and back with a “click, click” here and a “click, click” there we reached the camel stopping place. Sitting on a stone wall was Taylor, a college student and one of our group. “Boy, am I glad to see someone I know!” he exclaimed, and I was glad to see him, too! He was the first to finish the ride. I was second as my driver took some rather steep short cuts We rested on the wall and chatted for about fifteen minutes before the next ones arrived. Out of our group of twenty-one, there were eight who rode camels. Six hiked up and seven stayed in their beds back at the hotel. As we waited for our group to assemble I marveled at the many pilgrims on the trail, only visible by the flashlights they carried, weaving back and forth in the dark on the switchbacks, slowly ascending the mountain.

Soon it was time to go the rest of the way. Although I started at the front of the pack I was soon at the rear with Janet and Rick, our trip organizers. With them were Michael and our guide making sure all were accounted for. We climbed about a hundred steps which suddenly became very, very steep and rough. The guide was helping me over the rocks when Janet said, “I can’t do this any longer. It’s just too steep.” I thought to myself, “It’s silly for me to depend on the guide to push/pull me to the summit. Michael suggested we stop and go no further. I had to agree.

Michael, Janet, Rick and I found a niche in the wall face of the mountain and relaxed. All was quiet in the dusk just before dawn. We watched the heavenly bodies disappear as the sun began to rise. A special feeling came over us as we sat in solitude, rather than being surrounded by hundreds of people at the top. We thought of God meeting Moses on the mountain and giving him the Ten Commandments. “And the Lord [said to Moses], “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.” (Ex. 33:22,23) What a thought!

All too soon, it was time to start down the trail. With my folding cane in one hand, I still found it necessary to take Michael’s strong hand to help me keep my balance over the loose rocks. Slowly, slowly we descended. Two hours later we could see St. Catherine’s monastery way, way below us. What a happy sight! In another hour we actually reached it.

To climb the mountain where Moses talked with God was an awesome experience. I knew then I could face what other challenges might come before me.

What’s A Cottage Meeting?

Have you looked at the sign-up sheet in the Undercroft and wondered? An important part of the search process for a new settled pastor in the Congregational faith involves discovering who the congregation is at this point in time, what its members want the church to do and to be in their lives and in the community at large, and what its members feel they need and are looking for in a new settled pastor. There are a number of ways in which the search committee tries to accomplish this. One is constructing a local church profile based on the demographics of the membership and the community. Another is developing a survey to elicit the information in writing from church members and friends. And the third is to hold a series of small group meetings in members’ homes to discuss the topics outlined above. Each of these sessions would involve 6-8 of you talking with and asking questions of 2 members of the search committee.

It’s important for the search committee to hear from as many of you as possible. A number of folks have volunteered to host the meetings which will take place toward the end of April and throughout the month of May. If you have signed up to attend, please indicate on the sign-up sheet the best day of the week and time of day for you to get to a meeting. If you have not signed up, please do so as soon as possible so that the search committee can make and post a schedule of the meetings. Once all the meetings have taken place, the committee will develop a survey that will be distributed to all church members and friends.

Based on the information obtained in the three ways described above, the search committee will prepare a descriptive brochure about our church that will be sent to prospective candidates.

MISSIONS

On Sunday, March 28^th, we joined U.C.C. churches in taking a special collection for the “One Great Hour of Sharing.” We raised $1010.00 for this collection, which helps people here in New Hampshire as well as those across the nation and world wherever disaster strikes. This has been especially important in supporting relief efforts after the earthquake in Haiti. Thank you all for your generous support.

Please remember that on the first Sunday of every month we collect money and food for our Local Hunger Relief mission. Not only do we support the two food pantries here in Sanbornton, but we also serve meals four times a year at the Bread & Roses Kitchen in Franklin. Lately, the donations have been down significantly and that has hampered our outreach efforts to help neighbors in need.

On Mothers’ Day, Sunday - May 9^th, we will once again publish donations for “Blanket Sunday” memorials and dedications. The suggested donation is $5 per blanket. We will have donation slips and envelopes available on April 25^th and May 2^nd so that we can receive your gifts and intentions. This is a wonderful outreach opportunity because relief blankets are needed in every disaster. Please join us.

Let’s extend our prayers, our ministry, and our compassion – working together we do make a positive difference in the lives we touch.

Respectfully submitted, Ann Emerson-Knott, Edna Hansen & Patsy Wells The Missions Committee.

News from the Merrimack Association

Delegates of the Merrimack Association, family and friends filled the Boscawen Congregational, United Church of Christ on March 21, 2010 for the ordination of Kristine Bowen. She has been named Spiritual Director and Chaplain of the Seacoast Hospice located in Portsmouth.

Kris’s past experience includes working at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. She is a licensed speech therapist and graduated from Andover Theological Seminary with honors. The Committee on Ministry of the Merrimack Association has followed her journey and was delighted to recommend her for ordination.

Representing the Sanbornton Congregational Church, United Church of Christ were delegates Mary Morris and Shirley Powers.

Prayer Shawl Ministry

The Prayer Shawl Ministry of Sanbornton Congregational Church, UCC is a diverse group who knit, crochet, and weave shawls, with skills ranging from beginner to advanced.

We are an interfaith group with representation from Sanbornton Congregational, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic, St. James Episcopal Churches and Temple B’nai Israel. We meet in the Craft Room of the Woodside Building at Taylor Community in Laconia, NH on the third Tuesday of each month from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Currently we have about 10 members, however, two of these members spend the winter months in Florida, while another is at her lake cottage during the summer. We are all busy and cannot always attend our meetings. In general, about 6 of us manage to meet consistently. Consequently, we are looking for more knitters.

The purpose of the Ministry is to knit shawls to be given to those who are ill, grieving, or in need of comfort in some way. We celebrate happy occasions by presenting shawls to graduates, owners of new homes, baptism, confirmation, and special birthdays, etc. Pocket Squares, a smaller version of a shawl, are given to our troops and to those who are traveling.

Recently, the Taylor Community released an article about our Prayer Shawl Ministry in a multitude of local newspapers. We were hoping that this would encourage interested knitters to join us, but much to our surprise, persons from the Laconia, Gilford, and Canterbury areas responded to the article requesting shawls for themselves. Of course we accommodated them and the presentation of the shawls to these people proved to be a very spiritual experience. Their need was great. Their response to receiving a shawl was very emotional and we were reminded how important our ministry is. We have all been moved and energized by this experience. We also had one person donate some yarn to us, which we greatly appreciate, and another called to request that she join our group, which she is going to do for our April meeting. (Next meeting is 4-20-10).

In this economic environment, we realize how great the need is for a spiritual connection to God. We want our ministry to respond to this need, as well as we can as a small group, without infringing upon our goal of knitting when we are happy and in a content mood, without any deadlines. In this way our spiritual well-being will naturally be woven into our shawls.

If you are interested in joining us, please call Karna Feltham 524-6251. We are more than happy to teach anyone how to knit or crochet.

“Community is like a large mosaic…a fellowship of little people who together make God visible in the world.” – Henry J. M. Nouwen. Let it be so for our Prayer Shawl Ministry!

REPORT FROM THE GREEN TEAM

Marg Whedon and I attended CELEBRATION VIII, the every-four-year conference of UCC women from the six New England states. This is usually held at the huge Sheraton Conference Center in Burlington, VT in mid-March. I had been asked to do one of the twenty nine workshops to be held on Saturday, March 13^th and it was suggested that it be about GREENING YOUR CHURCH. The title of our workshop was HOW TO GREEN YOUR CHURCH WITHOUT SLIDING INTO THE RED - OUR INTERGENERATIONAL STORY.

Of course, my first thought was to have Marg with me, to repeat that wonderful slide show she had put together in 2008 for the Stewardship campaign. In that slideshow was the story of our path to becoming a GREEN CHURCH, spread over 3 years and going forward. The children of our church were a huge part of that story, and as I put it all together, I was mightily struck by the way opportunities put themselves in our path, many in the form of the church school children & their teachers. I had my story pretty well finished up when the Theme for this 2010 CELEBRATION was announced. It was “TOGETHER BUILDING BRIDGES” - a deliberately intergenerational theme for the whole conference. I felt led and blessed that our little church could take its place with pride & enthusiasm in that company of almost 650 women. We have some ideas, coming out of CELEBRATION VIII, which we hope we can share with you soon. We thank you all for being a special part of God’s family, and we are so happy to be a part

of it, too.

Lee Hart

FROM THE COLLEGE STREET CHURCH, UCC BANNER (Used with permission by the author, Mary Lou Crooks)

Ten of us from College Street Church were among the 630 UCC women from all of New England gathered at the Sheraton the weekend of March 12-14. We worshipped, sang, learned in workshops and were challenged by a number of extraordinary women speakers at the eight New England Women’s Celebration. This event has taken place every four years since 1982.

One of the workshops that I attended was one on “How to Green Your Church.” Folk from the Sanbornton (NH) Congregational Church told the story about how one church has taken seriously their concern for the environment and discovered that they can help even in very small ways. This church (where I was a member and organist for eight years) has 85 members, has proclaimed itself Open and Affirming and a Peach and Justice Church, has topnotch music and education programs and has a “Green Team”. We heard how a few people started conversations that led to the whole church embracing this effort, including active participation of the children and youth. I wondered and asked how with only 85 people they could do all of this “good stuff”. The answer was the belief that the people are Spirit-filled and are a true community, and thus people work together and make things happen. Made me think of our church and I wondered if we might explore forming a “Green Team.” Anyone interested? I am!

Making History: Sanbornton Community Garden Project Plans (News in our Neighborhood) By Milly Shaw, Historian

What started out as eight area Belknap County UNH Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, desiring to work on a local project, has grown to include much more. The project will provide a service to the food pantry as well as locally grown produce to seniors over the summer months. In addition it will offer educational opportunities to residents of Sanbornton and surrounding areas as it transforms into a cooperative, multi-generational and multi-organizational project.

Beginning with talks between the Master Gardeners and Cab Vinton, Director of Sanbornton Public Library, the project took root in its humble beginnings of the cold of winter, which is when all gardeners are getting itchy to start digging in the soil. The Master Gardeners approached the town selectmen for permission to use land located near the Sanbornton Public Library with its great southerly exposure and access to a water source. Permission was granted and plans blossomed.

Based on a popular 1980’s gardening book, (now revised) SQUARE FOOT GARDENING, by Mel Bartholomew, the plans are developing to build raised bed gardens, planting without rows, in self-contained beds with companion plantings.

As word spread, numerous individuals and groups are expressing interest in becoming part of this community project. Prospective groups are Boy Scouts, Winnisquam Regional School District Ag Students, Grange members, seniors, the Energy Committee, Food Pantry volunteers, local growers, farmers, town residents, and UNH Extension educators.

The Sanbornton Public Library will be offering a number of programs during the growing season. Some to be included are: “What is Square Foot Gardening & Companion Planting?” by the Master Gardeners, “Greens Throughout the Summer” by Charlie Burke, “Pest Management” by UNH Cooperative Extension Dot Perkins and numerous others. Exact dates and times will be posted on the Sanbornton Public Library website at www.splnh.com.

Materials are being purchased with funds raised from the Belknap County Master Gardener plant sale. These will be purchased from local sources as much as possible to make this a true community project. The benefit to the Town Pantry will provide fresh, healthy locally grown produce for the pantry.