By Staff
The Rev. Darryl C. Evans is the associate pastor of First Presbyterian Church and president of the board of Eagle’s Wings.
Local food pantry fulfills promises
Last year we, the board of Eagle’s Wings, wrote on this page that we were hard at work. And we made promises. We promised to improve what we do and how we do it. We promised to be a “new and improved” nonprofit Christian food pantry for Beaufort County.
Specifically, we set the concrete goals of purchasing a building and a walk-in freezer. We made these priorities because together they would eliminate or reduce our two top expenses: (1) a $700 monthly rent payment, and (2) our electricity bill, which has topped $900 in recent months. These two changes will easily save us over $10,000 a year, or over 11 percent of our annual budget. Put another way, this would enable us up to serve a quarter million more pounds of food a year.
Today, we are pleased to report that we are keeping our promises. On Dec. 6, we purchased a building. After a thorough and thoughtful search, we closed on our current residence (932 W. Third St). We have already fixed our leaky roof, and are about to fix our broken furnace. Most importantly, we are on the verge of securing a discounted walk-in freezer.
We are writing not only to express our gratitude for our volunteers and partners in ministry, but also to be accountable to the community whom we serve. In addition to our recent purchase of our building and land, we want to report on our other commitments.
As promised last year, we have expanded our board by almost doubling it. We have formed new partnerships in ministries (e.g. Grace Lutheran Church) while strengthening older partnerships (e.g. Trinity Episcopal Church). We have revisited and revised our bylaws. We have applied for more grants than ever. We are working even harder at fundraising. We are improving the Web site we have now established (www.eagles-wings.org), and we have hired a second part-time staff member, Debbie Adams, as our executive director.
As we head into 2008, we have great momentum and are an energized organization. Praise be to God! We would like to invite you to come share the bonds of friendship and celebrate our building with us on Saturday, Jan. 19 at Washington High School at 7 p.m. as the firefighters take on the police department in a charity basketball game. Admission is free, and refreshments will be available.
Jeff Diamond from 107.9 WNCT will emcee; we will have a memorable half time show; and, we will have a highly entertaining team of “young at heart” cheerleaders (including Mayor Judy Jennette, Carol Atwater of the United Way, Sandy Fenn of the Red Cross, and more.).
We would like to challenge local businesses to sponsor our basketball game. Join our first three $1,000 supporters — F. Ray Moore, Buster and Carol Humphries and Wachovia Bank — who are helping us pay off our mortgage and secure that walk-in freezer. In return, we pledge scrupulous stewardship. We believe that we are accountable not only to our supporters and our community, but also to our God.
Come visit us Tuesdays on Third Street and see what God is doing. Join with us as we seek to live our value of “Christian love in action.”