Jesse Lee Church is happy to announce a new Community Cupboard food pantry has been installed on their campus on Main Street in the heart of Ridgefield, CT.
This is a “give & take” pantry. People who have some non-perishable food items and cleaning supplies they’d like to donate are welcome to leave them in the food pantry and those that could use these items are welcome to pick up what they need. The Jesse Lee Church Community Food Pantry is located at 207 Main Street under the bridge that joins the church and Wesley Manor and is open to anyone who wants to participate. You do not need to be a member of Jesse Lee Church to give or take food and supplies from this pantry.
The idea for the Community Cupboard was inspired by 11-year-old Ruby Weiner. During the pandemic, Ruby and her mom brought some food to fill up the food pantry at St. Stephen’s Church. The next day, when they walked by, the pantry was empty again. Ruby asked her mom what happened to all the food they put in there the day before. Her mom explained that times are hard and people pick up the food when they need it.
That motivated Ruby to apply for, and receive, a $500 grant from Sodexo to create more Community Cupboard food pantries around town. She reached out to Clark Construction to see if they would use her grant money to build more of the pantries. They wouldn’t take the money, but they did build five more Community Cupboards pro bono and they have been installed all over town.
“Seeing an 11-year-old girl make such a difference in the lives of others made us want to join her efforts,” explained Medearis. “We hope Ridgefielders will join participate in giving and receiving from the Community Cupboard food pantry so we can make things a little easier as we all work our way through what we hope is the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Community Cupboard at Jesse Lee Church was dedicated in May to Ron Lee, a Methodist minister for 55 years and Matt Medearis' (Steven’s husband) stepfather. Since Ron was 17, he felt called to be a pastor and he dedicated his whole life to preaching and helping others. He is a beautiful example of someone who lives life being a beacon of God's light, dedicated to bringing hope and healing to people. Jesse Lee Church is honored to dedicate this Community Cupboard to Ron's legacy.
Call 203.438.8791 for more information.