GR residents received food through holidays

Thanks to community members, residents at Mansface Terrace were eating better over the holiday season.

Mansface Terrace service coordinator Sarah Hymas said for the past few years, a pantry filled with special items including honey, butter, candy, holiday items, meats and paper towels has been set out for residents. Some of the most popular items are ground beef, spices, fresh fruit and vegetables, butter and honey.

"It's something that we do during the Christmas season," Hymas said.

The Mansface Terrace facility is for seniors who are in need of low-income housing or individuals who need mobility assisted housing.

Hymas said their maintenance employee made a Christmas tree out of shelves to hold all of the special items, which just adds to the holiday spirit.

"We try to get items that are a luxury item for them," Hymas said.

This pantry started Dec. 18 and was overflowed with food items. Then as the holiday season goes on, the pantry starts to deplete.

"Last year, we were trying to come up with an event that would be nice for Christmas, but that would be of the most benefit the residents, and the 'Pan-tree' was born," Hymas said. "The staff of Mansface Terrace along with the local Smith's the shelves of the 'Pan-tree' were filled with special treats and groceries that due to their fixed incomes, our resident would consider a luxury."

Some of those luxury items are fresh veggies, fruit and things they can get at the Green River Food Bank.

"Mansface Terrace is affordable housing for low income seniors and even though their rent is subsidized the residents have the difficult choice of deciding where and what to spend their limited funds on," Hymas said. "There are seniors in this community that have to choose between medication and food."

Last year, Smith's Food and Drug donated a bunch of cases from their case load sale to Mansface Terrace.

This donation allowed the pantry to go on for more than through the holiday season.

"This year, Mansface Terrace is so very grateful to have received two cash donations to be able to fill the shelves of our Pan-tree," Hymas said. "Pineda's Kenpo Karate has generously donated $870.26 that they had fundraised for."

Pineda's hosted numerous garage sales to raise money. She said it was a goal of the group to become more active in the community and they felt donating money to Mansface Terrace would achieve that.

In addition to Pineda's generous donation, a local motorcycle club called the Badland Bandits donated $225 to Mansface Terrace. The Badland Bandits have also scheduled to come and have a barbecue and watch a movie with the Mansface Terrace residents this summer.

"With the amount of money that has been donated we should be able to fill the shelves for the Pan-tree through the new year," she said.

Hymas was touched by the children to took time to think of others during the holiday season.

Their donation made a big impact to residents at Mansface Terrace.

"It has been a great success and so far we have been able to fill it three times and we have enough funds to fill it at least once more," she said.

"Again, thanks to the Badland Bandits and Pineda's Kenpo Karate," she said. Mansface Terrace also had help with shopping and setting up the tree from a couple of volunteers from Green River High School National Honor Society, Kaylee Hymas and Haylen Cordova, along with Braxton Cordova.