Lost pounds translate into aid for pantry

When it comes to staying fit and healthy during the holidays, Joy Grout knows it’s not easy, so she tries to make it fun and rewarding.

As owner of Personalized Fitness for You in Seymour, Grout works with clients, mainly women, to help them reach their fitness goals, whether that’s losing or just maintaining their weight or building muscle and strength.

Besides working one on one with clients, Grout also offers classes.

One of her most recent classes not only had an impact on those enrolled but made a difference to those who utilize Community Provisions food pantry in Seymour.

For every pound lost during the five-week Holiday Weight Transfer class, Personalized Fitness for You donated five pounds of food to the local pantry.

“It was unique in that it was transferring your pounds to pounds of food for others,” Grout said. “We all tend to focus on ourselves and this was a way to focus on someone else. The class let people say, ‘I don’t need that extra holiday food, but someone else does.’’’

In all, the class lost enough weight to donate 311 pounds of needed food supplies, including pasta, spaghetti sauce and jars of peanut butter and jelly.

They delivered the food to Provisions last Monday.

Paul Brock, director of Provisions, gave the class a tour of the food pantry and talked about its operations.
“We’re grateful for people in the community like you who support us,” he told the group.

The food pantry operates solely on donations of food and money from individuals, businesses, churches and other organizations.

Grout said visiting the pantry and learning more about it was eye-opening.

“By doing little things for other people, you are doing big things for yourself,” she said.

Those in the community interested in exercising and helping out others will have another opportunity thanks to Grout.

At 7 p.m. today, she is offering a special holiday-themed Jingle Bell workout in the Seymour-Redding Elementary School gymnasium. The class is open to the community and free with the donation of a non-perishable food item.

All items collected will be donated to Provisions.

For more information, call 524-7747 or visit www.personalizedfitnessforyou.com.