The Root Cellar | FANN

One of the questions we ask when evaluating our ministries and programing is “Are we actually loving our neighbors as ourselves?” This question led us to move from offering an emergency food pantry, where families were fed but always returned hungry, to the Friends and Neighbors Network (FANN) model.
Local families in need of food become paying members (membership dues: $5/yr, $3/meeting) of a network of neighbors. Under The Root Cellar, they work to provide food for each other through organized meetings every other Wednesday. Each meeting involves certain member responsibilities including set-up and clean up as well as the actual distribution of the food. Although prayer participation is not required for members, a time of prayer has become a tradition at each meeting. In one of the FANN groups, the members have voluntarily taken over the prayer time, which has had an incredible spiritual impact on the group.
Thanks to our partnership with Good Shepherd Food Bank, we are able to consistently provide quality food boxes. A typical food box includes protein, starch (pasta, rice, potatoes, etc), fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, bread, eggs, and household supplies - like a normal trip to the grocery store!