Nourishing Neighbors Gift Card Program: Impact Stories

Tell us a story! We'd love to hear it!

  • Veronica
    last Monday

    When we feed people all the time, we can get used to it and miss how much it really means.  Over the holidays, Sparrow House Ministries in Lamar, CO was able to bless many families with the gift cards- unexpectedly to them, disguised inside a Christmas card.  The amount of gratitude expressed by the families over the following weeks was amazing - they truly appreciated the extra help to go purchase what the pantry wasn't able to provide.  One mom expressed that her son was so happy and in tears that she was going to be able to send a lunch with him to school.  We love that the name of the program is Nourishing Neighbors because it is often about so much more than the food it provides - it is nourishment to the soul- a restoration of dignity.

    On behalf of Sparrow House Ministries - a heartfelt thank you!!

  • Sharon
    03/17/2023

    We were so honored to take part in the Nourishing Neighbors program. We were able to share gift cards with many people in need. The comment we heard most often was how the recipient was grateful to be able to purchase their own food to celebrate their family traditions and the food they like instead of being given food based on other traditions. One person mentioned how empowering it was to allow them to provide for their family and their needs. Thank you for allowing us to be part of this program. (Smoky Hill United Methodist Church)

  • Alexia
    03/15/2023

    I work at a local food bank in a rural community and we had to shut down due to covid outbreak among staff members. A few of our clients said that the gift card we gave out helped them get through our two week closure. 

  • Alexia
    03/15/2023

    The gift card allowed me to purchase extra food for my child that has a very specific diet due to food allergies. 

  • Alexia
    03/15/2023

    The gift card was a godsend to our families that use our food bank. Many of them were moved to tears by the generosity. 

  • Alexia
    03/15/2023

    The gift card allowed me to purchase food for my family that has a very strict diet due to food allergies. 

  • Carrie
    03/14/2023

    I run a food bank in Tracy, CA. We serve low-income families and depend heavily on donations from organizations and businesses. We utilize the Nourishing Neighbors program to purchase nutrient-dense food and give out gift cards to our clients. We are very grateful for this program!

  • Stacy
    03/14/2023

    On bahalf of the Lander Care & Share Food Bank in Lander, Wyoming, I want to express our sincere gratitude to Noirishing Neighbors for the gift cards you provided.  They have absolutely impacted our community, and have allowed our clients to choose their foods from our local Safeway.  There is a lot of dignity in choice, and that is what you have given the families we work with.  Thank you again,

     

    Stacy Stebner

    Executive Director, Lander Care & Share Food Bank

  • Sherry
    03/13/2023

    We serve over 220 senior clients food each and every month.  With the receiving of the Nourishing Neighbors Holiday Gift Card Program we thought utilizing some of the cards in December would be a great gift.  So in December we had holiday cards signed by staff and enclosed a $50.00 gift card for each senior client we serve.  Every senior client was so touched by generosity and especially at Christmas time.  This gave each of them the opportunity to purchase extra items they may need.  Our seniors budgets are so tight these days it is heartbreaking hearing how they struggle.  We hope that these cards made the difference for each and everyone of them for a bit of time.  Elko F.I.S.H. wanted each of them to know that we care about them.  

    Thank you to the Nourishing Neighbors Program for making this possible for our community!

  • Heather
    03/09/2023

    There is a wife and husband that have been coming in to use the pantry for the past couple of months.  They do not speak a word of English; we usually try to communicate to them through google translate.  They are Ukrainian and I believe came here to seek refuge, their names are Olena and Vasyl*.  We signed them up for holiday help – I don’t believe they knew what it meant but they did know that they had to come and pick it up on a certain day.  When I handed her the gift card for Thanksgiving, she broke down crying. I went around the table to hug her, and I cried. She expressed that they can’t work, and it meant so much to her. She called her husband in the lobby and it was very emotional. Both she and her husband are very sweet, they are trying very hard to adjust to life here.

    -Heather Hole Strout

    Executive Director

    MLK Community Center

    Newport, RI