Have you walked into the grocery store in recent days and been shocked by the prices?  Would you like to do something to lower your food bills?  If so, you might be interested in an initiative that we’re thinking of offering here at St. Mark’s.  And we’d love to know what you think.

The idea is to join the “Saint John Food Purchasing Club” – an organization that helps people like you and me stretch our food dollars by offering access to good quality vegetables and fruit at affordable prices.  Debbie McLeod, Lora Snead and I attended a meeting about it this past week, and learned that it’s a non-profit, volunteer-based group that buys produce in bulk from reputable wholesalers and then distributes it to various depots across the city.  Then the members who’ve placed orders can pick up their food – and enjoy their fruits and vegetables! 

A produce pack is available once a month at the cost of $25.  The orders vary from month to month depending on the season, but here’s an example of the vegetable and fruit order for September 2024.

5 Apples, 2 lbs Bananas, 2 lbs. Carrots, 1 Celery, 1 English Cucumber. 2 lbs. onions. 5 lbs. Potatoes. 1 lb Red Grapes, 2 Avocados, 1 Green Pepper, 1 Red Pepper, 1 Romaine Lettuce, 1 lb Tomatoes.  

What’s more, recipes are offered every month as well!

Debbie, Lora and I think this is a great idea that’s worth pursuing, as the program could offer some tangible and important benefits to us and to others in the wider community.  So we’d like to know what you think. 

Would you consider participating in such an initiative? 

Do you think others in the surrounding community might find it helpful? 

Please reach out to Lora, Debbie McLeod (debmcleod10@gmail.com), or me (revianmanson@gmail.com,) with any thoughts, questions and feedback you might have.
In these and other ways, we at St. Mark’s are committed to doing what we can to help meet the spiritual, social, and physical needs of those in the community, and to being Jesus’ hands and feet in West Saint John