Blessing Awards

From time to time, we choose to give a Blessing Award in honor of a loved one that has passed. It is our way of saying thanks for the positive impact they made on this earth and for their inspiration to us all.

2017 Blessing Award in Honor of Maryellen Dale

Ron and Audrey French are the recipients of a Blessing Award in honor of Maryellen Dale.  For their award, they will receive a season of fresh berries and fruit.

Maryellen was one of our first CSA customers in 2013.  We got used to seeing her each week and it hasn’t been the same since she has been gone.  Mrs. Dale always got the double share so she could take fruit to friends and spread joy. We remember her too from her days as a caring elementary teacher.  Her husband, Thurston adds “after retiring, she continued her love for the Lee Whedon Library.  But mostly she enjoyed leading bible studies where she enjoyed helping others to come to know Jesus Christ better. ”

 

Ron and Audrey are being honored for their perseverance and helping others.  Despite health challenges, they continue to help their family and friends in many ways.  They show love in action and for this reason, are being given a blessing award. May it bless them as they have blessed others.

2016 Blessing Award in Honor of Libby Jurs

We are happy to announce that Rhonda Oliver is the recipient of a Blessing Award in honor of Libby Jurs.  Her 2016 CSA membership will be at no cost this year.

(Elizabeth) Libby was one of our CSA customers and will be greatly missed. She bravely fought cancer for over six years, while continuing to work as a school nurse.  She was a true blessing to many students as well as faculty. Her family wrote:

“She would bring food, clothes and presents for the students she thought needed special attention.  She certainly had a love for country music (she was Josh Turner’s number one fan), camping, church, canning, tractor pulls, animals, and nascar.  Libby was up every morning to see her husband John off to work for the 36 years of their marriage.  Nothing was ever too much for Libby.”

Rhonda is receiving this award because of the extra care and love she showed Libby.  Kathy Jurs, wrote:

“She would go shopping for Libby, take her to school, help her out in any way that she could. Rhonda along with another close friend Cindy started a team called “Team Libby” they got a huge group of teachers and friends together to do the annual ovarian cancer 5K in Rochester and had t-shirts made up that said TEAM LIBBY.”

With this award of season long fresh fruit and berries, we thank Rhonda for her caring nature.  We remember Libby and the positive difference she made in so many lives, her belief in friends, faith, and family.

2015 Blessing Award in Honor of John Panek

We are happy to announce that Megan Williams is the recipient of a Blessing Award in honor of John Panek.  A portion of her 2015 CSA membership will be at no cost this year.

We lost our Dad and Grandpa, “Big John,” this May after a sudden battle with brain cancer. He lived his life with strength, courage and gentleness.  With his beloved wife, Barbara, he raised three sons.  He not only taught but modeled good work ethic and community mindedness.  He served in the army, worked at Kodak for 30 years and started a farm when he was 50 years old!

In John’s Eulogy, his son Jim said:

” Dad was loving, he has always shown unconditional love. 

For Barb: as she struggled through many illnesses, he never left her side. 

For the land he farmed: to grow and take care of his crops

For the community: he always tried to give back

And for his sons: he loved them unconditionally through all their choices, trials and successes…”

 

We chose Megan Williams to receive this award because of all she does to help in the fight against pediatric cancer, who she is in Christ and as a mom.  Megan and her husband, Matt, have four children.  On her blog, http://stepsforbrady.blogspot.com/, she writes,” I’m proud to be a wife and a full time mom to 4 amazing kids all born within 19 months of each other! In January 2009 I became a cancer mom when my son was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a form of pediatric cancer.”

Ever since this diagnosis, Megan has been an advocate both for her son and for raising funds to combat childhood cancer.  She has been an active participant in Alex’s Lemonade Stand since 2009 and was chosen as the “New York State Hero Family Representatives” for this year’s National Lemonade Stand Days (Read more about the Wiliams Family and Alex’s Lemonade Stand in the Batavia Daily News).

Megan is an amazing mother and her faith has helped her through many trials.  We are happy to bless her with this award as she has blessed others. Through it we can rejoice in the legacy passed to us by John Panek.  His strength, his love, his dedication, his work ethic, his goodness. This love of working the land and giving back to our community.

2014 Blessing Award in Honor of Susan Bennett

Congratulations to Katherine Jurs, who has been selected to receive a free 2014 Berry CSA Membership in memory of Susan Bennett.

The award was created to honor Susan Bennett, a dedicated and loved customer at Panek’s Pickin’ Patch.  Kathy was selected because she exemplifies the warm, caring, and encouraging nature of Susan.

Kathy will receive a free full share membership in our Berry CSA, which will provide her with 2 quarts of fresh fruit for 20 weeks from June-October.

Kathy and Susan were a positive support to each other in times of hardship.  Both shared diagnoses of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, although not at the same time.  They uplifted each other, visiting and buying gifts of encouragement.

Kathy’s mother, Suzanne Davis, nominated her and had this to share.  “Because Kathy is who she is, she wanted to do something special for Susan.  She decided to run in the Disney half marathon with the Lymphoma Society Team in Training, in honor of Susan. Kathy trained hard for this, every day running 5, 6, or more miles and on Saturday she would travel to Mendon Park to train with others. She ran that race with Susan’s name on her jersey. She was the top fundraiser for the Western New York Lymphoma Team. This was due to the wonderful way both Kathy and Susan treat other people. Both faced adversities courageously, both kind, both loving and empathetic and both loved very much by friends and family.”

Panek’s Pickin’ Patch is delighted to announce Kathy as the winner of this award.  Susan will be greatly missed this season and just as she always made our days brighter, we are glad we can make Kathy’s brighter with this award!