Local food pantries receive more than $1,000
Published 10:19 am Wednesday, December 23, 2015
This year’s Holiday Food Pantry Drive has come to a close and on Tuesday each food pantry recipient was given $1,100 to go toward feeding those in need.
The drive is a joint effort between the Bank of Brookhaven and The Daily Leader. Donations will benefit the food pantries of Bethel AME Church, the Greater Hope Foundation, St. Francis of Assisi/St. Vincent DePaul, St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church and Union Hall Baptist Church.
Flora Kelly of the Greater Hope Foundation and Alice Methvien of St. Francis of Assisi/St. Vincent DePaul said the drive is a major help — even though it is down about half from what it was last year.
“God usually provides,” Methvien said. “We’ve gotten down a couple of times pretty low, and we’ve managed to get contributions, or some school or organization has a food drive.”
This year, the pantries might need that kind of intervention.
“It’s costing us somewhere close to $1,200 a month at the store, and it’s all volunteers that operate everything. Everything that comes in goes right back out in donations,” Methvien said.
Kelly and Methvien said this is the first they have seen the drive numbers so low, and that unfortunately it seems money is tightening all around.
“It’s all year long,” Methvien said. “We have a lot of people on really limited incomes. Some people are surviving on nothing. Less than $1,000 a month, for a lot of people, it’s $600, $700 a month.”
“You wonder how can these people survive once they pay the water bill, the light bill, the utilities and heaven forbid that they need medicine,” Kelly said. “After rent or a house note, they don’t have money for food.”
Oftentimes, this burden falls heaviest on the elderly.
“It’s a choice between ‘Do I buy medicine or do I buy groceries?’” Methvien said. “It’s so sad that that’s the shape we’re in.”
Kelly and Methvien expressed gratitude to every contributor who donated to the cause, adding that they couldn’t do what they do without things like this. For more information on how to help out, contact any of the food pantries listed above.
Bank of Brookhaven ……….. $200
The Daily Leader ……………. $200
Karen Sullivan ………………. $100
Nena Smith’s School of Dance
……………………………. $200
New Hope Quilters …………. $200
In memory of Buddy Allen … $100
B. Jeanette Morgan ………… $100
Kevin Laird …………………… $100
Dixie Doremus ………………. $100
Linda Foster ……………………. $20
Anonymous ………………….. $150
Carolyn Brown ………………… $25
Steve and Cathy Jones …….. $100
Audrey and Clyde Allgood … $100
Anonymous ………………….. $200
New Hope United Methodist
………………………. $300
Anonymous ………………….. $100
Anonymous ……………….. $10.20
Anonymous ………………….. $500
Shirley Estes …………………. $100
Anonymous ………………….. $100
Anonymous ………………….. $100
G Liquor Store ……………….. $100
K. Podleys Jr. …………………. $200
Easthaven Baptist Church … $100
Mr. and Mrs. James Adams … $100
Anonymous ………………….. $100
Anonymous ………………….. $100
Reginald and Beverly Wise … $100
Anonymous ………………….. $150
Anonymous ……………………. $50
Anonymous ………………….. $200
Anonymous ……………………. $20
Anonymous ………………….. $100
Mrs. David H. Calcote ……… $100
Hopewell Missionary Baptist
Church …………………………….. $100
Anonymous ………………….. $100
In memory of Monzola “Polly”
Banks ………………………………. $100
Women of the Moose ……… $150
Carol and Carlton Cobb ……. $100
Sandra Schumacher ……….. $300
Anonymous ………………….. $125
Total …………………… $5,500