This update is from Terri Bernath, part of the Helping Hands team.
The original Article has 23 comments. Read them at the bottom of this article to see who said what, and to see what kind of discussion can happen with any article on the website.
May 1, 2025
Re: The Pantry at Indian Springs MHP
For those of you who don’t know, the Pantry is a collection of food and personal care items provided by and for the residents of the Park. It is located in the upper cabinets to the left of the stove in the clubhouse kitchen.
All residents are welcome to use the pantry as they need at any time, no permission needed. It is available during clubhouse hours. We will be doing a periodic check on the items but generally, there is limited oversight.
As a reminder, we can only stock unexpired, unopened, non-perishable items. As space allows, we stock the following:
· Canned foods, snacks, prepackaged grains
· Personal care items
· Pet food and care items
As of now, the pantry is pretty much full, but we can always use more canned meats and fruit. Currently, we are a bit overstocked on green beans, bar soap and dry rice and beans.
THANKS to everyone who contributes to this worthwhile amenity!
Contact Terri (#135 your current contact person for the pantry) or any board member if you have questions or concerns.
Original Article starts here:
Anyone who can donate non-perishable food or toiletry items to our Helping Hands pantry in the clubhouse please do so. The stock in the cabinets is pretty low, it needs replenishing. It has been used frequently by those in need since it was established and has been replenished until now. I have looked in there over the past year or so and it’s never been so depleted.
It was brought to my attention by a Resident today that there wasn’t any information on the Helping Hands Program on the website. There is now, a brief overview of it has its own page. This should result in more exposure to the Residents in the park which may result in even more use of the pantry. Let’s not let this concept deteriorate into oblivion just when even one Resident has asked for it to be recognized as worthy to be advertised.
This message is open to discussion by commenting below, as are all other messages on this website. Every message is an open forum where comments can be made and replied to. This particular message may be the most important one posted so far.
My main concern is that people who are not in need of assistance will take advantage of these items. Are these items locked up and would the resident need to contact a particular board member to access the items they need? This would ensure that someone is monitoring this process to avoid maybe the wrong people depleting the stock when in fact they could afford to buy these items.
I agree with Cindy. I know its by honesty and need that we hope residents will take the groceries, but I feel that is not being done.
You and Cindy have a valid point. Without monitoring there’s no way to know who’s taking things. Jim wanted it that way so those in need could anonymously use it.
This has actually worked out very well. We had one food drive in March 2023 and there has been around 5-15 cans being used per month. It has only been in the last month or so that the food bank stock has reached a point where some additional items have been used. Peoples privacy has been respected and use of the closet has not been abused.
The closet was not set up so that only those in need would use it. It was also set up so that someone who may be short an item could pick it up rather than make a trip to the grocers for 1 item. We’ve lost significantly more to losing outdated goods than ever having lost to a can going to someone who really doesn’t need anything.
This is great!!!
Are there any items needed most?
Are we able to access this anytime the CH is open?
Thank you for sharing!!
I don’t know what is needed most. The pantry is unlocked so yes it’s available while CH is open.
Hi Ziggy, Our food/hygiene stocks are back up again thanks to words put in by David and a few others. We can use a few canned meat and fruit goods but it’s good for now. This is not a closet that’s going to get a lot of use so we don’t want too much… kind of like the 3 bears. We don’t want to much or too little. We want to make sure we have just right.
By the way, I heard you might be interested in helping in some way. I’m in 116 just down across the street from you. Feel free to drop by anytime you see us home.
I hear your concern. It’s a fine line between allowing anonymous accessibility and allowing abuse. For now Jim’s implementation allows both.
Is not the funds received from the recycled cans that both Judi and Rodney take to Burrtec used for replenishing the pantry?
When Jim Barger first brought the concept to a meeting for discussion, a couple of years ago, he asked for $500 to get it started. When it was suggested we use the cabinets in the kitchen I believe that either reduced or eliminated his need for startup funds. Only Jim can answer whether any HOA funds have been spent on stocking the pantry. I think the answer is no, that it’s been stocked only by donations from residents.
Thanks . . i will get clarification from Jim. I will also find out where the recycle money goes.
Great memory David! I’d totally forgotten about the $500 ask. That request was made to buy a cabinet to be put in the laundry room or our meeting room. The request for money was dropped at that point and I’ve never put in an ask for funds. The vision for helping hands also included getting funds for helping folks in need. However, that part was never put into place because we needed to have a couple people involved in making those kinds of decisions in a confidential manner after verifying need. I’m confident we now have a couple people who are ready and getting 1 or 2 more might be good. But we can probably now start soliciting funds.
When we first announce the program, there were a couple people who wanted to make contributions. There was about $120 donated at that time. Those funds have never been used and are still in our accounts.
Jim,
Thanks for all the clarification on the Food Pantry and the funds for the recycled cans. I feel like you have explained thoroughly the use of both.
Thanks. I really hoped this would be useful.
The recycle money has been put into the petty cash fund and primarily used to offset the cost of events. Petty cash can be used to reimbursed HOA expenses up to $75. A member will submit a receipt which will be reimbursed under approval of the Treasurer.
I was told by a resident that the lack of things in the pantry has been impacted at least partially by a purge of items that were past their expiration date. Really no one knows how many of the pantry items are being taken by residents in need.
Helping Hands is about more than just non-perishable items in a pantry. Last night I created a form which, if implemented, will allow any resident to request help they need. As a community we need volunteers to attempt to answer those needs. Anybody interested?
Thanks so much for the form! The next step is to identify where needs can be filled. We will be able to start initiatives when we get sufficient volunteers to make them happen. These are areas where we could do our next steps with Helping Hands:
*Helping Meals- Could someone volunteer to coordinate making meals for our residents who are sick or have had a loss. Could others volunteer to make a meal when needed?
*Helping Handywork- Could someone coordinate when someone may need bushes trimmed down and don’t have the means to get it done? Or maybe shut off a leaking sprinkler head? Could others with skills help in this area?
*Helping Contacts- Could someone coordinate a network of our residents communicating with each other. There are people here who have little contact with others or aren’t able to get out of their homes anymore. It would be nice if someone would visit or call someone up once a week. Could others help with this? This might be ideal for someone who can’t get around much anymore but can still call someone on the phone.
*Helping Needs- This might be to help someone who can’t afford to replace a broken refrigerator or garbage disposal. The need here is for 1 or 2 people who can evaluate the needs of people making requests and then determine how we can apply donated funds confidentially. Need a couple caring volunteers who are also sound in assessing the needs of others.
This looks like content for a new article on Helping Hands. With your permission I’d like to create one titled “Moving Forward with Helping Hands – the Vision”.
Thanks . . i will get clarification from Jim. I will also find out where the recycle money goes.
Nice job spreading the word.
Hi Cindy, This is my first time on the site so I’ll try to address everyone’s comments starting here.
The food bank sits in the first 2 upper cabinets in the clubhouse kitchen. The clubhouse is open from around 8am-10pm every day so people can access the space confidentially almost everyday. The 5 or 6 shelves have always held a combination of food, pet food, and hygiene items donated by Indian Springs residents. Since there is a vibrant food bank at St Margaret’s Episcopal Church down the block, I’ve always seen our few shelves as a 7-11 rather than a grocery store.
It was important to set up the space so that people can avoid the stigma of needing a food bank. The honor system allows people to privately make their food selections. Consider the shelves as a cross between a pantry for those in need and a place where someone can grab something quickly if they just need a quick item. This method has not been abused in the 2 years the food has been on the shelves.
Helping Hands started in February 2023 with a request for $500 seed money to buy a lockable closet. The funding request was not needed and withdrawn when we decided to use the shelves in the kitchen. In March 2023 we had a HOA event and food drive that filled 6 shelves with canned goods AND filled another box that was kept in the HOA storage closet. It is clear that the closet has been wisely used since we’ve typically had around 5-15 cans taken from the shelves per month. That one drive filled the shelves for two years and only recently have we looked for donations again. There have also times when people would leave a bag of canned goods or dropped off food when they moved out. There has not been any concerns with people inappropriately taking food.
Thanks Jim for the clarification. It is a great idea for residents who are unable to get to the store.
Stay tuned, there’s more coming in the future for Helping Hands.
Jim, thanks for your explanation about this program and how you access the products. Ideally, those truly in need will benefit from these donations. It’s very kind and supportive for park residents to donate and share with others less fortunate.
Great job gentlemen!!!