CrossNet provides fixings for holiday meal

At 2:45 p.m. on April 4, Amy Marburger, food and nutrition manager with CrossNet Ministries, had left the organization's Food and Nutrition Center to stand near the CrossNet van parked in the corner of the New Holland United Methodist Church parking lot adjacent to the CrossNet facilities.

The van was loaded with food items to give out to anyone in the New Holland area in need of an Easter meal. "There's usually a line (before 3 p.m.)," said Marburger. "But I had people coming inside (the Nutrition Center), so I decided to come out early." Soon, Marburger and her helpers were handing out hams and carrots, purchased at a discount from Yoder's Country Market; 5-pound bags of potatoes, donated by Shady Maple Farm Market; 150 dozen eggs from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank; and bags filled with candy, canned soups, noodles, and more, donated by Our Lady of Lourdes Church. "Our Lady of Lourdes does a Manna Bag collection," explained Marburger. "They do this for Easter and for Thanksgiving for us, and they target our needs."

Marburger gave drivers and passengers friendly greetings as cars began to arrive. "I haven't seen you in a long time," she told one driver, whose tiny dog peered out the passenger side window. "How's my little buddy?" she asked a child in the back seat of a mini van. "Have a happy Easter!" she called after him as the van pulled away.

Easter meals, which Marburger believes have been handed out for about a decade, consist of a ham, a bag of carrots, a dozen eggs, a bag of potatoes, and a bag of assorted extras. "We packed for 125," said Marburger, who noted that in addition to the 3 to 5 p.m. drive-through pickup on April 4, meals could be retrieved at the Nutrition Center on April 5 and 6. "I told (clients who) have appointments at the food pantry to just pick them up (when they come)," explained Marburger. "I told them not to make two trips because gas is way too expensive."

Looking ahead, Marburger belives the Food and Nutrition Center will be in need of certain items. "Numbers (of clients) are increasing with food stamp benefits being cut," she said. "We are always looking for condiments, pancake mix, syrup, crackers, and snacks." All donated items must be unexpired.

Readers who would like to learn more about CrossNet may visit http://www.elancocross.org.