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