By The Rev. Dr. Peggy Hotchkiss
Reporter, Carbon County Comet
The Platte Valley Ministerial Association is hosting a Beans (with ham) and Rice Banquet on Tuesday, October 10th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall of St. Ann’s Church. The dinner is a fundraising event for the Saratoga Food Pantry. Admission is by donation. All are welcome.
In addition to raising funds to support the work of the Food Pantry, the goal of serving a dinner of beans and rice is to raise awareness of the diets of impoverished people worldwide. According to a June 2023 report from the World Health Organization, “Over 122 million more people are facing hunger in the world since 2019 due to the pandemic and repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including the war in Ukraine.”
A large percentage of the world’s population subsists on beans and rice. While beans and rice are adequate for survival, they do not constitute a healthy diet. The World Health Organization states, “More than 3.1 billion people (42% of the global population) were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2021.”
In the North Platte Valley, purchasing food for a healthy diet is a challenge for many people. Wanda Snell, the Food Pantry Chair, shared that the Food Pantry served almost as many families in the first six months of 2022 as it served in all of 2021, and the numbers continue to increase.
The Saratoga Food Pantry provides food boxes for families and individuals experiencing food insecurity. The boxes include a variety of foods, including canned vegetables and fruit, beans, rice, pasta, and canned and frozen meat. Anyone who needs food is welcome to visit the Food Pantry for assistance.
The Food Pantry is open on the first Tuesday of the month from 4:00-5:30 p.m. and on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10:00-11:30 a.m. For emergency needs, people may call their own pastor or Pastor Gene Smith of the Platte Valley Christian Center at (307) 326-5520. The Food Pantry has a new home—next door to the previous one-—at 112 E. Bridge, Suite F.
