Contributors: Kenna Royster, Raymond Nichols, Theresa Bell, Matt Berry
Editors: Matt Berry, Sharon Ford
About a month ago, Theresa Bell from B’More Clubhouse applied for a grant with Royal Neighbors of America. She applied for a grant that was focused on bringing a positive impact to your chosen community. Theresa shared, “ B’More Clubhouse is my community so I chose to apply for a $200 grant to get produce and we received it.” We were able to create 20 baskets of produce that we distributed to our members. The baskets were full of fresh nutritious vegetables and fruits such as potatoes, acorn squash, oranges, apples, broccoli, greens etc.
The pandemic has made it harder for some of our members to have access to fresh produce. “We can’t go around as much and have been relying on canned goods. Receiving that basket brought me a lot of joy,” shared Kenna. She made some delicious stew, salad and stir fry with what she received. The benefits of adding such healthy elements to our diet comes with a lot of benefits to our physical and mental health. Raymond loves adding oranges to his diet because they are rich in Vitamin C and that is very essential for our immunity , especially now. Matt also shared how eating healthier helps him feel better and energetic, “we should eat like a rainbow,” he shared.
Receiving the grant money, shopping for fresh produce, assembling the baskets, and distributing them to our members was such a good experience for everyone. We hope to receive support from other organizations in the future as well. We also learned that Royal Neighbors of America is the largest women-led life insurance company in America. Developing contacts and working with other wonderful organizations in the community is a good reminder that “we are doing it together,” to make our community better in every way we can, one step at a time.
