Spring/Early Summer 2010
More Than Food
In late March an article featuring the servant ministry of the Food to You Mobile Food Pantry appeared in the Argus Leader. The headline made an important point. It read: “More than Food.”
Yes, Food to You is a program that gives away food, but it is so much more than that. Each Thursday when I lead the orientation and training for that distribution’s volunteers I ask the group to consider what we will give out that night besides food. The list goes something like this: respect, caring, friendship, hope, love, a sense of belonging, smiles, good humor, a listening ear…
One of the most important goals set by Charis Ministry Partners for the mobile food pantry is the hope that it will build up a sense of caring in the community among those served and those who serve. This is our call as followers of Christ, to make the love of God known through our actions and words. That love includes, but goes far beyond, giving away groceries and hygiene products.
After a recent distribution when we had our debriefing time, one of the first-time volunteers mentioned that even though she had helped at several different kinds of community outreach programs, she had never received as many “thank yous” as she had handing out groceries that night. I believe that the way we do things at Food to You emphasizes face to face caring conversation. In this setting it is possible for people to express their gratitude and relate to each other on the save level. We are cultivating relationships and feeding much more than physical hunger. Those who serve always receive blessings from those who are served. Thanks be to God for this amazing grace opportunity to be the body of Christ each week!
Update on the first months of 2010
The first four months of 2010 have been interesting ones for Food to You. We faced some frigid winter weather to start with that affected our turnout of guests. Our first distribution in January was cancelled because it was so cold that the Food Bank was closed! Our new site, Messiah New Hope Lutheran Church, proved hard for folks to find in the cold and the dark. This meant that our number of guests each week varied from as few as 50 households to as many as 132 households served at a distribution.
As weather has improved, daylight lengthened, and a little publicity provided, the numbers have evened out a little more. In April 99 families found us at Messiah New Hope, and the first Thursday in May we served 144 families at East Side Lutheran Church. We are grateful for the many donations of Foods of the Month we have received that make it possible to offer nutritious and interesting fare to our guests each week in addition to Food Bank items.
We are also grateful for those who have donated hygiene packs. We gave out hundreds of these in the winter months to appreciative guests and now are quite low on them. The Hillyard Company donated ten cases of toilet paper so we have been able to give that away when we have not had enough hygiene packs. Thanks for thinking of us, Hillyard!
It is now time for groups, churches, organizations, and businesses to sign up to sponsor/volunteer for a distribution in mid to late summer. There are a few openings in July and all four distributions are open in August. The Foods of the Month are as follows: June – soup, July – cereal, August – pasta (any kind). Please consider conducting a donation drive for these items even if your group does not plan to serve this summer. With kids out of school and no school breakfasts and lunches it gets a little harder for families at this time of year.
Please be in touch with questions, concerns, and with your request to schedule a distribution for your group to sponsor/volunteer for Food to You.
Banana box blessings,
Karen
Karen L. Soli, Coordinator
Food to You Mobile Food Pantry