The Link’s Master’s Hand food pantry partners with other nonprofits to serve neighbors with dignity
CULLMAN, Ala– The Link of Cullman County is well known for its annual drive-through-style food giveaway held in conjunction with Rock the South. The drive-through style giveaway was started at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has continued to give families in need a boost before school resumes.
The Link’s Courtney Ricketts, neighbor relations case manager and overseer of Master’s Hand food pantry, shared that from the $17,000 donated from Greater Good Music, Rock the South and Rock the South headliner Cody Johnson, just over 500 boxes of groceries were packed with over 400 of those boxes being distributed on Saturday alone.
However, this type of endeavor isn’t something the Link does just one day a year. The nonprofit’s in-house food pantry operates twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9 a.m.- 3:30 p.m., serving hundreds of families a month.
The pantry didn’t actually start with The Link, Ricketts said. It started out of a partnership with longtime Link supporter, Daystar Church, and has continued to bloom through partnerships with other local churches and nonprofits.
“It was actually started by Daystar years and years ago, and it grew to the point where they realized they couldn’t continue to facilitate it. They reached out and asked us to take it over, and it moved over here. It actually came with volunteers that were already established, a system that was already established, as well as all the freezers and shelving,” said Ricketts.
She said that demand has kicked up over the past year with the rising cost of, well, everything.
“It’s even grown past that now,” laughed Ricketts, sharing that in the month of June alone the Master’s Hand pantry served 480 families, or about 1,800 individuals. That’s a lot of hungry mouths to feed, and to try to feed in a nutritious manner, as food pantries are typically known for high-starch, high-sodium staples that can be hard to craft an entire meal with.
“We give those peanut butters, jellies, crackers and breads of course. It’s easy for parents to send those to school with their kids. But we do try to focus on ‘whole” meals,’” mentioned Ricketts. “If we’ve got ground beef, we’re going to throw in spaghetti sauce, noodles and a vegetable to go with it. Maybe even garlic bread if we have it!”
Ricketts noted that the work they do with Master’s Hand is a full-on collaborative effort between other food banks and local nonprofits, saying that many of their items are purchased at-cost from agreements with local grocers, from grants given by feeding societies, donated by other nonprofits and churches, and distributed by local volunteers. The willing participation of all these groups leads to a well-rounded, and healthier than most, food pantry.
“We have a grant from RC&D (Alabama Mountains, Rivers & Valleys Resource Conservation & Development Council) that gives us a certain amount of money each year to spend on fresh, local produce and meat from local farmers,” explained Ricketts, noting that The Link also partners with several local farmers, the North Alabama Agriplex and Society of Saint Andrew through the gleaning program. The gleaning program works in tandem with local ranchers and growers to “sow another row” to donate fresh, local produce to local food banks, getting it straight into the hands and pantries of those in need.
“We’ve done (J.) Calvert Farms, Bagwell (Blueberry) Farm, Haynes Farm… this little book from the Agriplex, I can call any of these farmers and they’re happy to help us out,” said Ricketts, waving thee 2023 program guide from North Alabama Agriplex.
Ricketts also mentioned the invaluable guidance given to the Link by Alabama Cooperative Extension System SNAP Educator Della Bramley. “She came over and we did a survey of how healthy our food pantry was,” said Ricketts. “We were two points away from being in that ‘healthiest’ category, and that’s my big goal now, I need to get us there!”
Overall, Ricketts shared, the goal for the pantry is to create a dignified, holistic experience to address the issue of food insecurity in our community in a respectful way, sharing that the neighbors it serves are so much more than case numbers.
“We see them as God’s child, that we’re supposed to take care of and love,” she nodded.
Master’s Hand food pantry is open Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. It is located at The Link, 708 Ninth St SE, Cullman Al, 35055.
Copyright 2023 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
