57-Year-Old Woman Dies, Then Feeds Hundreds Of People From Her Grave

Sandy passed away unexpectedly before seeing her local food pantry open. As a final request, her obit requested food donations instead of flowers. [rsnippet id="3" name="Article-Ad"] When Sandy McNamar passed away not long after her 57th birthday, the community was shaken. She and her husband, Brian were very active in their local church. The pair were especially committed to helping the community begin a food pantry for those who needed extra assistance. Sandy was diagnosed with a rare muscle tissue cancer and was given a terminal prognosis. That's when she knew she needed to make a bold move.  So she started sharing her final request with her church members and friends.

“She left a big hole in the church when she left us,” said Margo Schamerhorn, who heads the food pantry. “She really wanted, both of them wanted, to see the food pantry go through.”  

credit: MSN.com

Sandy's Final Request

She knew a funeral would be inevitable, so she decided to make a plan that would allow her to give back from the grave. Sandy asked everyone to bring food donations in place of the traditional flowers!

"To honor Sandra's generous nature, in lieu of flowers please bring a donation of nonperishable food item(s) to Staves Memorial United Methodist Church to benefit their food pantry." Sandy's obit stated. 

Because of Sandy's willingness to use her situation for good, she was able to make a huge impact in her community. In a shocking display, the food pantry collected more than 2,000 pounds of food for the pantry at Sandy's funeral!

“Words can’t describe it,” Schamerhorn said. “This just warms your heart.”

Knowing this food pantry concept was so special to Sandy, the church and community named it in her honor. The Sandy McNamar Memorial Food Pantry is now able to help 20-50 people regularly. It's open every other Saturday and offers a free community meal at 5 p.m. on the last Saturday of the month. RELATED: Stranger Defends Lady Using Food Stamps When Couple Mocks Her Pantry worker, Cat Stokes shares the joy she experiences being able to see how many people are blessed through the new food pantry.

“It’s nice knowing that they can come here, that they are not going to be shamed,” Stokes continued. “Nobody is going to point out their shortcomings here, that they can come as they are, which is as it should be.”

h/t: KCRG News Feature Image Credit: Legacy.com YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Trucker Gets Dying Wish To Take Final Ride In 62-Year-Old Studebaker credit: Jake Bacon, Ariozna Daily Sun