Local Food Pantries Running Low; Food Drive Set for Oct 14-26
At a recent Adult Needs Committee meeting hosted by the Warren Coalition, several members reported that local food pantries are running low on supplies, and the number of people seeking food assistance is increasing.
To help local food pantries restock their shelves, the Committee decided to host a short-notice food drive, kicking it off at the Festival of Leaves on October 14th and ending at the Jack O’Lantern Jubilee on October 26th.
Donations of nonperishable foods are welcome. This includes canned meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit. Meat is typically the item most needed and the least donated. Pop-tops or pouches are ideal, as some recipients may not have can openers. Donations may also include cereal, oatmeal, powdered milk, rice, instant potatoes, pasta, and canned soups and stews.
Collection Points
Throughout the drive, collection boxes will be available at the following locations: • Front Royal Town Hall, 102 E Main St • Front Royal Visitors Center, 414 E Main St • Warren County Community Center, 538 Villa Ave • Social Services Office, 465 W. 15th St (outside near drop box) • Samuels Public Library, 330 E Criser Rd • Warren County Government Center, 220 N Commerce Ave
There will also be collection boxes at the Festival of Leaves in downtown Front Royal, October 14th, 10 am to 6 pm at the Visitor’s Center Tent, and the Jack O’Lantern Jubilee at the Health and Human Services Complex football field (465 W 15th Street) on October 26th from 6 pm to 8 pm. Randolph-Macon Academy Middle School Interact Club will also be collecting food.
Participating Food Pantries
In addition, you may bring food donations directly to several of the food pantries. Call ahead to ensure they will be open when you arrive and are available to receive donations: • C-CAP, 400 Kendrick Lane, Suite B; 540-636-2448 • The Embassy Deliverance and Worship Center, 413 South St, Suite G&H (Friday nights); 540-636-9595 • Helping Hands (Warren Charge UMC), donations by appointment only; 540-683-9080 • Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, Catholic Charities, 613 N Royal Ave; 540-252-4320 • Salvation Army, 357 Cloud St; 540-635-4020 • Warren County Department of Social Services, 465 W 15th St; 540-635-3430
Other food pantries may also be accepting donations. Only those that agreed to participate in this food drive are listed here; we will add others as they join in.
Even if the pantry you typically support is not on this list, they may still need your help! Please check in with them.
The tenth annual Celebrate Kids Day on September 24th, hosted by Warren Coalition and Warren County Parks and Recreation, saw huge crowds in spite of a change in venue this year and the weekend appearance by Tropical Storm Ophelia.
While the move to the Health & Human Services Complex was expected and well-advertised, the large amount of rain forecasted for the weekend caused the Coalition to pivot, bringing the popular inflatable rides into the 15th Street Gym at the Health & Human Services Complex. Diversified Minds (Warren County Public Schools), which has a building on the same campus, graciously permitted some of the local agencies to move their tables into their conference room, allowing the event to spread out.
It was fortunate that they did so, as the gym, the “band room” where the face painting and pumpkin painting were taking place, and the conference room were all packed with people for most of the three-hour event. The pitch burst and petting zoo remained outside; the pony ride vendor canceled before the event began.
Organizers estimate that 800 to 900 people, including adults, attended the event. Inside the gym, children enjoyed various inflatable rides, including a giant slide, a moon bounce, an obstacle course, a rock wall, and a T-ball challenge. In addition, 200 children received a free pumpkin, with many of them painting the pumpkins and/or getting their faces festively painted. The gym was also home to several games, the cake and health walks, concessions, and tables and activities with the Salvation Army, Warren County Parks & Recreation, MeKari Sweets by Tiffany, and All-Star Legacy Cheer, which also gave demonstrations by various age groups.
Inside the Diversified Minds conference room, there were additional games and activities as well as additional tables hosted by local agencies: Department of Social Services, Girl Scouts, Phoenix Project, St. Luke’s Community Clinic, Randolph-Macon Academy, Community Connections, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the Arc of Warren, and Northwestern Community Services Board.
In their travels from one building to another, children could pause to throw balls at the pitch burst, breaking 11-inch water balloons over eight enthusiastic volunteers who raised a combined total of $6400 for “honor” of having water balloons burst over their heads: Jen Avery of Jenspiration, LLC, Captain Crystal Cline of Front Royal Police Department (FRPD), Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Cheryl Cullers, FRPD Police Chief Kahle Magalis, George McIntyre of the Apple House, Kristen Pence of Warren County Veterinarian Clinic and Warren County School Board, Warren County Sheriff Office’s Lieutenant Robbie Seal (sitting in for Sheriff Mark Butler), and WZRV DJ Randy Woodward.
The Coalition held the $1 per child cost for the event for the second consecutive year. This was made possible by the sponsors who stepped up this year: Front Royal Dental Care, Front Royal Elks Lodge #2382, Fraternal Order of Police Front Royal-Warren County Lodge #33, Warren County Parks and Recreation, Front Royal Kiwanis, American Legion, and Auto Center. In addition to these, City National Bank covered the entire cost of the petting zoo!
Celebrate Kids Day would not have been possible without the additional organizations and businesses that provided valuable support. Card My Yard provided attention-grabbing signage to draw people to the new location. Horton’s Nursery and Garden Center worked hard to find pumpkins at the lowest possible price, and provided them at cost to the Coalition. Unity Masonic Lodge No 146 volunteers brought their grill and cooked up the burgers for the day. MeRaki Sweets by Tiffany donated a box of goodies for the cake walk, and Fox’s Pizza donated two pizzas and provided a discount on the rest. Martin’s provided a $50 gift card to help fund the food, and sent a volunteer over to assist with the event. Navy Federal Credit Union and Shenandoah University Women’s Field Hockey team provided many of the volunteers. When the weather prompted a need for a last-minute promotional push to let the community know that the event was still going to happen, Royal Examiner put it front-and-center in their news, and WZRV pushed it out as well.
“This is a true example of how a community can come together to make something good happen,” said Christa Shifflett, Executive Director of the Warren Coalition. “Warren County Parks & Recreation, Diversified Minds, our sponsors, local businesses, our pitch burst fundraisers, tons of community volunteers, parents who took time to bring their kids, and of course my amazing staff…everyone pitched in to do their part and make Celebrate Kids Day a success in spite of the weather. It literally brings tears to my eyes.”
Warren Coalition is a nonprofit agency established in 1994 to help fill the gaps in health care and substance abuse awareness to the community. The Coalition began under the guidance of Warren Memorial Hospital as an outreach project, but it has since grown and was incorporated in 2001. The office is currently located in the Warren County Community Center. Their mission is to make Warren County a safe, healthy, and drug free community through many programs and in collaboration with 15+ member agencies.
On July 27th, a small crowd ofWarren Coalition staff and members, along with members of the local community, gathered at the Warren County Community Center to recognize the Coalition members who went above and beyond in their service to the Coalition and the Warren County community this past year. They also recognized this year’s winner of the Larry M. Funk Award for Outstanding Service to Children in Warren County: Laura M. Nelson Haas.
The Annual Awards & Appreciation Luncheon started off with the recognition of Coalition members who had performed what is a basic yet the most important part of being a part of any organization: they showed up. Jessica Dandridge, Robbie Seal, and Susan Smith were recognized for attending 80% or more of committee and membership meetings, while Nick Croft was recognized for achieving perfect attendance throughout the year.
Throughout the year, Coalition members receive “stars” for supporting programs and events. At the luncheon, the person with the most stars is usually recognized as the Coalition Member of the Year, but this year, the race was tight—so much so that Robbie Seal was given an “Honorable Mention,” while Nick Croft and Michelle Smeltzer tied for the number of stars they received, earning them both the “Member of the Year” honor.
The final award of the day given was the Larry M. Funk Award for Outstanding Service to Children in Warren County. Larry was a member of Warren Coalition for more than 20 years, serving in a number of positions to include Vice President and President during that time. The Warren County Sheriff Department employed Larry for over 28 years, and 27 of those were as the D.A.R.E. instructor and Community Policing representative. The award, first given in 2022, was established to honor his legacy.
Photo: Robbie Seal (middle), Vice President of the Warren Coalition Executive Board, and Linda Funk (on right), wife of the late Larry Funk, present the Larry M. Funk Award for Outstanding Service to Children to Laura Nelson Haas (on left).
This year’s recipient was Laura Nelson Haas. Laura was the school resource officer (SRO) at Warren County Junior High from 2000-2006. Norma Jean Shaw, who nominated Laura for this honor, wrote Laura was “well-loved” by the students and is still enthusiastically greeted by former students to this day. She described how Laura would always have a pocket full of dollars and would give a dollar to any student who was short on lunch money—and she didn’t keep track of who owed her. Some students paid her back, others didn’t.
Laura also worked with students—and sometimes their parents as well—to resolve conflicts without fighting.
“As her students came to know and trust her, Deputy Nelson often became the first person a child would turn to with family issues, including physical or sexual abuse. Steering those children to the proper help made her realize that she could help even more as an investigator,” Shaw wrote.
Laura became a Warren County Sheriff’s Office investigator and then completed the specialized training required to become a sex crimes investigator. Throughout her career, she has worked many cases, impacting dozens of children for the good.
Shaw concluded her nomination with the following: “Many of those helped by Laura are children who have been victimized, and their names cannot be told. Suffice it to say they are living better lives today because of her commitment and dedication to helping each of them. And that is thanks enough for Laura.”
Laura received a $500 award as well as a crystal trophy to commemorate her award.
“Larry was a really fantastic human being,” she said. “This is really special. Thank you so very much.”
Warren Coalition is a nonprofit agency established in 1994 to help fill the gaps in health care and substance abuse awareness to the community. The Coalition began under the guidance of Warren Memorial Hospital as an outreach project, but it has since grown and was incorporated in 2001. The office is currently located in the Warren County Community Center. Their mission is to make Warren County a safe, healthy, and drug free community through many programs and in collaboration with 15+ member agencies.
Gerald Buhl, a student at Warren County Middle School, and Abigail Rodman, a local homeschool student, both won first-place prizes in the Warren Coalition’s annual Health Video Contest. The contest was open to all middle school students, ages 11-14, in Warren County. Students could elect to submit a video about getting regular exercise, getting enough sleep, drinking water, or maintaining healthy eating habits.
There were a lot of parallels between this year’s two winners. Both Gerald and Abigail focused on the importance of exercise for their videos, and both had help from a younger sibling. They each won a $125 Amazon gift card, and both of them indicated they planned to share their winnings with their younger siblings. Although in the same category, the entries were quite different; Gerald focused on weightlifting (view his video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFLUj5OP4z0), while Abigail provided tips on exercising without equipment (check it out at https://www. youtube.com/shorts/uQ-tox8uWaA).
The contest was held as part of the Warren Coalition’s WAHOO (Working to Achieve Healthy Outcomes and Opportunities) program, which is funded by the VirginiaFoundation for Healthy Youth. Their videos will be used as healthy living ads throughout Warren County later this spring.
We brought lessons of resilience to many of the schools this year, starting with Skyline High School at their open house in August, and ending with E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School in May. We had beautiful weather at EWM, but it was a bit chilly for our Pitch Burst “volunteers,” so for once we encouraged ponchos and hats.
The Pitch Burst is an important part of the resilience lessons we teach. We use it to explain to children that if we don’t talk about our feelings with others, they build up until one thing makes them explode, just like the pin that pops the water balloon. And just like the water gets all over anyone nearby, when our feelings burst out of us, sometimes they “get all over” other people, even those who had nothing to do with the reason we were upset.
Our other lessons this day included Affirmations Jenga, overcoming obstacles, and speaking affirmations to others.
Thank you to all of the teachers and staff members who helped us bring the Pitch Burst and other resilience lessons to the children of Warren County this year!
