Potter’s House Ministries is an organization in the community that serves a wide range of needs, according to Amanda Flanagan, AmeriCorps Vista. The group serves the community through their food pantry, tax preparation, HEAP and PIP, Marketplace navigation, Medicare benefits, summer feeding day camps for children, a senior food box program and more.

Flanagan says she does a lot of the operational background work for the organization, working on tax preparation, minimal grant exploration, event organization, fundraising and more. She has been involved since 2020.

“I like what Potter’s House does for the community,” Flanagan said. “I’ve been there and done that when I needed help and they do a lot of good with the pantry and other programs.”

They are now preparing for their annual fundraising event for the food pantry called the Hunger Walk.

The walk is sponsored by Freestore Foodbank, a partner of the organization.

“We get a lot of our food from Freestore,” Flanagan said. “We have to buy it, unfortunately. It is at cost, but it is still $3,000-$4,000 or more in food a month.”

The Hunger Walk assists in some of that expense.

“With the Hunger Walk, what it does, with every dollar we raise, they will give us credit,” Flanagan explained. “So, every dollar we get comes back in the form of food from Freestore Foodbank.”

Flanagan said that the credit translates to an additional dollar per dollar.

Flanagan explained that the walk has been ongoing since she has been involved and that results have varied, with only two participants last year. However, Flanagan says the organization is stepping up and doing more this year to get people involved for a better event.

“We didn’t do as much for it last year as we are this year,” Flanagan said. “We’re trying something new this year. Also, we are telling everyone if they want, since the theme is superheroes, they can dress up as their favorite superhero if they want.”

To register, participants can call Potter’s House Ministries at 740.776.4004 or visit them at 5409 Winchester Avenue in Sciotoville. Registration is only $15 and includes a voucher for lunch, including a hot dog or nachos, a bag of chips, and a drink.

Participants can also support the cause by ordering an event shirt in advance, which is only $20 and was designed by local volunteer and businesswoman Dot Flanagan.

The event begins at Potter’s House and ends at the same location. Onsite registration starts at 10 a.m. and the walk starts at 11 a.m. The walk will take place in the Sciotoville community.

“I think it is pretty important, because proceeds benefit our pantry directly,” Flanagan explained. “So, it will benefit everyone who comes to the pantry and we get almost 1,000 families a month coming to our pantry.”

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved