Adding some heart to your shopping cart while helping seniors.
Text and photos by Jen Rinaldi
Now that the holiday season is in the rearview mirror, we tend to forget about giving locally.
According to Marsha Grombly, property manager at FLS White Mountain Villas and head of White Mountain Helping Hand.org, “Winter Is the most challenging time for seniors here on the mountain. Our summer visitors, who support the seniors in summer, have returned to the valley, and with food prices rising every day, seniors on a fixed income are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet.
Before the social security check arrives is the most difficult, and many seniors run low on the basics. Social Security has only increased by 3% while food costs have skyrocketed causing many to have to go without. That’s where the White Mountain Villas Food Pantry steps in. Marsha has been running the local pantry for three years, and since July 2022, she has made it her quest to ensure that the people in her care never go hungry.
She explains, “We make sure that our residents have items such as laundry detergent, milk, or eggs to stock their shelves, and coming here also gives them a sense of community.” While I was with Marsha, one resident there explained that she had to ration what she had in her pantry after her rent was paid and was glad that she could take some fruit and a dessert home after speaking with us.
Local businesses who know about the food pantry also lend a hand. While I was interviewing Marsha, the two Tammy’s from Bin Time, located behind Domino’s Pizza, stopped by with an arm full of woven shawls. Marsha explained that it is more than just food that our seniors here need — basics such as blankets, cooking utensils, and company help keep this community thriving.
Marsha gave me a tour of the Kitchen, which she explained was empty when she arrived. Now, every surface is covered with valuable donated items. From baskets with snacks to a coffee pod machine and baskets of condiments, the Kitchen is an inviting space. Near the Kitchen is the pantry, accessible day or night by residents who enter through the laundry room with their keys.
Weekly, the pantry needs community help so that it can provide meats, bacon, sausage, fresh fruits and vegetables, soft canned fruits such as peaches and puddings, and even pet food, both cat and dog, as many retirees have small pets.
These simple items are all it takes for residents to live with dignity. If you would like to help, donations are taken at White Mountain Villas located at 307 E. McNeil Road, behind the Show Low Senior Center. Monetary donations are also accepted so that individual needs can be met.
Marsha has boundless energy, and while running the Villas, she also finds time to raise money for the Vernon Fire Department and local schools. Through White Mountain Helping Hands, she is planning a once-a-month dinner theatre at the Elks Lodge to raise funds for school supplies. Another cause that she is helping raise money for is a UTV for the Vernon Fire Department so that they can access remote homes during emergencies. For more information on donating to the UTV or attending the dinner theatre, contact the new website in February at WMHH.org. (White Mountain Helping Hands.org)
If you have room in your heart and in your cart, please consider a weekly or monthly donation to the food pantry. Know that your gift will fill a belly and warm a soul. Consider an ongoing gift if you can.
Nothing at the pantry ever goes to waste; The Villas Food Pantry often trades with other organizations when certain items are surplus.
Food donations can be made M- F from 8 a .m. to 3 p.m. at 307 McNeil at the White Mountain Villas main building. When you stop, consider staying for a bit and visiting. If you happen to be there on a Wednesday, it is Coffee and Donut Day, with many of the residents spending the day in the lounge, so consider dropping by with your donation and
stay a while.
