My family and I wish to thank all those who visited our Christmas display. And to those who were able, who donated food or make financial donations. A special thank you to a gentleman, with the initials DW, for his special donation. According to Margaret Hannemann, director of the Island Food Pantry, 2,000 Vineyarders, made 6,000 visits to the pantry in 2019. On Jan. 6, I delivered about 1,600 pounds of food that was collected during the five weeks of my Christmas display.

What I delivered was a, drop in the bucket compared to what they need. The Food Pantry needs year-round donations, not just during the holiday seasons. So to the public I say, please continue to donate. Remember, if you donate by using a check, it could be a tax deduction.

Thanks again, and we hope to have our display and collection box in use on Thanksgiving day this year.

Also a special thank you to the Island newspapers. Without your super stories about the light display and the fact that we collect for the Food Pantry, I’m sure we would not have collected close to what we did collect. This past Christmas Eve, we had approximately 300 visitors, because Santa Claus stopped in for a visit. It was the largest one-night collection we’ve had in the 20 years that we’ve been collecting for the food pantry.

Robert Gatchell and Family

Oak Bluffs