HOLT, Fla., Nov. 5, 2021—The Holt Community Food Pantry was on the receiving end today when Emerald Coast Hospice stopped by with a donation.

Billie Anne Gillihan, marketing sales and hospice care consultant for Emerald Coast Hospice, presented a $1,000 check to the workers at the pantry.

“There’s such a need for it,” she said about providing food for those who need it. “It’s a sad situation and they can use so much help.”

The check came at a particularly good time for the pantry.

Shortly after the presentation, pantry director Donna Ash received a phone call letting her know one of the large freezers the pantry uses to store meats will finally be repaired, to the tune of $1,200.

The freezer quit working in April.

With the check now earmarked for the repair, it means regular pantry money can be directed toward food needed to stock the shelves.

“This check will help us go further with our basic needs,” Ash said.

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Related: “Holt food pantry cutting back hours beginning May”

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For now, the pantry is only open one day a month, having scaled back in May after so much food has been donated throughout the county during the pandemic.

Should the need arise, however, the pantry can quickly spin back up to meet that need, said Ash.

The pantry served 77 clients in October, nearly twice the number of clients in September, according to Jackie Tyler, pantry co-director. Numbers typically increase in the months leading up to the holidays, she said.

With the holidays just around the corner, a donation such as this is a huge blessing for the pantry.

“This time of year, it’s just so awesome,” said Donna Ash.