Food pantry hits the road

Grace Community will use a surplus bus for deliveries. 
by Andrew O'Brien | Staff Writer
The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners voted 4-1 to donate a surplus vehicle from Flagler County schools on Oct. 18. County Commissioner Milissa Holland dissented. 
The vehicle, a 2002 Ford E450 bus, will be donated and outfitted with a refrigerator, food heaters and other items necessary to provide people with food who don't have the transportation to make it to any of the food pantry's facilities.
Pastor Charles Silano, director of Grace Community Food Pantry, said the bus will be on the road year-round and not just during the holidays.
"There's a lot of people who don't have transportation," Silano said. "The good news is we're encountering more volunteers who want to help in this endeavor." 
Holland praised Silano's work within the community, but said she couldn't support the vehicle donation because it would set a precedent for other organizations to come to the County Commission with similar requests. 
"I think there's a need to support these efforts, but I don't think it's the government's responsibility," Holland said.
County Commissioner Alan Peterson agreed with Holland in the sense that a precedent would be established, but he still voted to approve the donation.
According to County Attorney Al Hadeed, the commissioner won't be required to grant such requests in the future because the decision is based on each individual request.
For the most recent quarter, from July to September, Grace Community Food Pantry helped 10,091 people and 2,397 households.
Silano said the main goal is to relieve stress on the people.
"We just want to build communities," Silano said.