What our Patrons are saying...
“Let me start by saying the Volunteers are by far some of the kindest people I’ve ever met and the amount of food that you’re given is amazing. You’re allowed to pick your own food it was just like being in a grocery store except you didn’t have to pay. I always tell everyone when when God Blesses you you bless the next the next person. Well they’re doing more than than that – they’re Blessing whole communities. This place and their volunteers have been beyond being a Blessing they’ve actually been miracles to some. May God continue to bless each and everyone of them.”
“I would like to extend my gratitude and love to the King George volunteers/family. This group of individuals has always treated my family and I like one of their own.
Back in November 2021 I lost my job due to Covid reasons. Moved to King George in December 2021. Now my husband is transitioning to retire in a few months. With his PTSD growing inside, it’s been hard for us to pay bills and keep a healthy meal on the table. He is so worried about becoming a civilian.
This is why I feel so blessed to have found Love thy Neighbor. It takes a huge load off our chest, knowing we will have food every week. They really care and it shows. From the time you pull up to park. This process was fun. My two 7 year old boys always look forward to going on Thursday. It warms my heart when I hear, will auntie Christine, Rebel and Liz be there? Lol it’s so funny. Ryan, Kelly and all the volunteers seem to look forward to seeing us, and always greet everyone with a smile, no matter what the weather is. I absolutely love these god sent angels. Thank you all for everything. Not just the food, but to Miss Liz, who helped me find the best opportunity for my son Axel who we just found out has autism. She instructed me where to go to get him evaluated. And check up on us to make sure everything went well. It’s people like these who showed me they’re still good people out here. Thank you.”
“My husband and I are both seniors on social security just getting by. The one month we were down to about $10 and really low on staple foods. We had frozen burger, chicken, and a roast I think, but needed items to round out the meals. Just to get us through the 3 days until our 1st check hit.
Because of the LTN pantry, I was able to come by and pick up canned veggies, beans, cheese, soups, some pasta sauce, and even got a bag of frozen chicken breasts. I barely got a small grocery cart half filled but it was enough to get us thru the dry spell. We ate well and kept our bellies full.
All our bills were current, but meds and drs visits really cut into our $$$ that month. It was the 1st time I’ve been to the pantry since its inception. Thanks for helping us out. I was embarrassed to show up, but everyone there made me feel welcome. No questions asked. I knew a couple of the volunteers, but they made me feel welcome too.
What a blessing LTN was for us. Thanks for all you do for others.”
“Thank you so much everyone who helped out with this amazing organization, because without it, my family and I would definitely be going without breakfast, lunch, and dinner on many, many, many days!!”
“People tell you about resources that will help you, and in the past, I always found the advice led me down pathways that made me feel small. Using government benefits in a grocery store can be embarrassing, and full of stigma. I have a lot of kids, and dealing with card issues, or cashier issues with the benefits gets intense, and I avoid it. I have a lot of kids, but I work really hard, and it hurts to be judged in public when people don’t fully understand other’s situations.
When I found Love Thy Neighbor, I sat in the line the first day, wondering how stressful the whole process would be, full of anxiety due to the overwhelming vulnerability of new situations, and how they usually go.
I found that nobody really felt judgmental there. I found a place that gave me 2 boxes of food, that I could pick out myself every week, with no extra strings attached. It was a godsend. I had fresh produce for my meals, ingredients that I otherwise wouldn’t be trying or experimenting with. I was getting better at cooking and enjoying taking care of family more than I did before. I wasn’t stressing bills as much, now I could stretch things a little further. And my family was proud of me for finding solutions, it felt good, not anything like the emotions and feelings behind words like “welfare”.
It also feels like a sensible system, a lot of the food items are waste and write-offs coming from stores around the area, who otherwise wouldn’t be selling the items, such as almost past-the-date bread. Closed systems are the way of the future, making the most out of what others find unnecessary, reusing what’s already there, in comparison to excessive production and senseless waste.
I realized quite quickly that I had to give back somehow. A lot of physical labor goes into running a place like this and all the donations etc. that have to be moved around. Like I explained in the above paragraph, this is something I believe is functioning incredibly ethically, all the way around, and my spirit found a home. I found a way to help give a hand with a pickup at a store close to my house. It happened to be Ryan Ragsdale’s pickup, I couldn’t pack it all in my vehicle alone, but giving him a hand moving boxes seemed to be something I could do with my kids in tow.
Doing work with Ryan, just instilled in me even more, how much respect I had for everyone there. He’s just a great leader, he’s incredibly humble, he treats everyone the same and always has the most heartfelt energy and words. You don’t hear that description about many people, but there is nobody working with Ryan who would disagree with anything I just said. None. That is another huge reason I work so hard for LTN, I finally feel appreciated somewhere.
After moving 100s of pounds of food, sometimes over a 1000 lbs, we go up there to the pantry and set stuff up for Sunday shift, my kids in tow. I’m the only one doing volunteer work with multiple kids running around on the day I work, but I still feel accepted, and proud to be part of something amazing. I have since taken on more responsibilities, as I have found where I can help. My partner comes with me most Sundays, and brings his teen daughter too. I think it has actually benefited us as a family, to work on something like this together.
Even if they don’t help as much as I’d like, one of my favorite parts is that my 3 boys, aged 8, 6, and 4, and my 2-year-old daughter, and their many half-siblings all see, or at least know, that I am out there doing something positive for the community. Maybe in the end, that is investing as much in my family, as the food is. Love Thy Neighbor has changed our reality more than any other business or organization in existence.”
