Community Interest
Giving Back: Gail Rittenhouse
Bringing fresh food to the food insecure.
Gail calls herself a foodie, and she is incredibly proud to offer gorgeous fresh food and high-quality products to people who are food insecure. The same kind of food she chooses at the grocery store is provided by donors and community partners for people who need to make either/or decisions about rent, medicine, or food.
“We give everyone about 80 lbs. of food valued between $150-$200! It is a joy to load their selections on the cart and wheel it out to their cars for them. It's just another way we express our mission of service,” says Gail.
Gail’s heart is in serving others; she calls her work, entirely in nonprofits, “intrinsic joy.” Her head is coolly running the business side to keep it focused and thriving. Thanks to a generous volunteer strategic planning professional and the work of a dedicated Board of Directors, Lancaster County Council of Churches has rebranded as Lancaster County Food Hub under her leadership.
Fresh vegetables donated to the Hub.
As they have for more than 70 years, Lancaster County Food Hub will continue to serve our community by providing food, clothing, shelter, and transportation to our most vulnerable neighbors. Gail credits her dad, a successful businessman, with her business instincts and her “Let’s go! Boom!” attitude.
Gail lights up when she describes staff and volunteers trading recipes with people who come in for their food, picking up bok choy or tropical fruits and asking each other how to fix them. When Gail thinks of all the people bustling through the Hub on distribution days, the farmers who bring just-picked summer vegetables to share, and the new stores in town who want to contribute, she gets emphatic: “We treat everyone with compassion and dignity, which is a core value of our organization. It’s about putting our arms around them, so to speak, to help and provide support to them during challenging times in their life journeys.”
Contact Gail at 717.291.2261 to find out how you can volunteer your time, donate your services, or assist through gifts.
