Barnabas offers, receives support

Barnabas Center has received several donations and announces assistance in planning for future donations.

Chances are there will be people in need in Nassau County for a very long time. In response, Barnabas launched a new wills and estates program to help the community understand more about making a financial contribution to benefit others through their wills and estates. 

Local resident Carolyn Phanstiel shared her reflections on the reasons she provided for Barnabas in her will.

“An important motivation is my wanting to be a good role model for my children and grandchildren. I have met with them to explain why, along with them, I have written Barnabas into my will. More than anything, I want this kind of legacy to be a Phanstiel family value.”

Barnabas asks that potential donors and supporters leave a legacy to help others through their estate planning. 

Estate planning can sound intimidating and like something that can wait for retirement. Many people believe it is only for the very wealthy, but in reality, it is important for everyone to consider and the time to create a plan is now. Without a plan, decisions about your assets, your healthcare and the care of your children are left to the courts and state laws to handle. 

Barnabas offers free estate and will planning information. Interested persons should contact Tania Yount, chief development officer, at tyount@Barnabasnassau.org or 904-261-7000. 

Barnabas Center’s mobile food pantry team will hold a free food distribution for lower-income Nassau County residents June 24. Sign-in begins at 10:30 a.m. and the distribution will last until all the food is distributed at the Northeast Florida Fairgrounds, 543378 U.S. 1, Callahan. The fairgrounds are located 1.2 miles north of Callahan on U.S. 1. 

The Bank of America Foundation recently granted Barnabas $10,000 to support the Barnabas Meal Pack Program.

Barnabas Center, in partnership with the Nassau County school system, operates the Meal Pack Program, which provides nutritious food to impoverished schoolchildren ages 5-12. Each pack of food helps to sustain a child over weekends and school holidays. 

If you or someone you know needs food or other assistance, or you’d like to help be part of the solution contact Barnabas at 904-261-7000. 

Barnabas also operates a food pantry, providing more than 370,000 pounds of food to individuals and families each year.

On May 11, the National Association of Letter Carriers collected food donations to aid the millions of Americans who struggle with hunger. 

The “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive is the nation’s largest single-day food drive, having collected more than 1 billion pounds of food since its inception as a national food drive in 1993. This one-day food drive benefited the Barnabas Food Pantry locally.

Sorting, unloading and boxing the food required the help of many. Barnabas appreciates the volunteers and partners, including Rayonier and Amelia Island Rotary and the community at large for making the 2019 “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive a success. 

This year, 21,061 pounds of food were donated and delivered to Barnabas. The postal carriers did the hard work of loading the donated food into their trucks along their mail routes and bringing it to the Barnabas Food Pantry. Volunteers helped unload and sort the food. 

Barnabas recently received 5,100 pounds of food from Publix through its “Food for Sharing” program. The program is held twice a year and gives people the chance to donate food to help the hungry. People of the community choose one of three donation amounts and Publix donates the food in that bundle to local food pantries.

The donation will support the Barnabas Food program by supplying the pantry with non-perishable food items to be provided to people in the community experiencing hunger.

Barnabas serves more than 2,000 unduplicated households in Nassau County, every year, who don’t know where their next meal is coming from. 

WestRock donated $7,000 to Barnabas recently as its support of the sixth annual Empty Bowls Luncheon and to assist the food pantry.

For more information about Barnabas’ Food Pantry programs and how to volunteer or receive assistance, visit www.BarnabasNassau.org.