For the second month in a row, more than 1,000 families came to the Good Samaritan Ministries Food Pantry for assistance with groceries. For seven months out of 9 (our monthly numbers are recorded through September) the pantry has seen monthly numbers of more than 900 families. The only exceptions were the month of April with 891 families and February, when ice necessitated closing for four days.
As of October, we are at almost a 19 percent increase over the number of families we helped during the same time last year. With the holidays fast approaching, that number will continue to increase.
With the increase of families, comes an increase in the cost to feed those families.
“Currently, we are spending about $20,000 per month and ordering 100,000 pounds of food in order to meet the need,” said Angelia Bostick, Executive Director of GSM. “We’re not going to turn anyone away, but we’re also not sure how the money will come in. We know we serve a big God who loves people so we believe He’ll take care of us each month. And right now, we’re operating month to month.”
Unfortunately, at the same time that requests are rising and, with them, the need for increased food purchases, giving is down across the board.
“I know the economy is down, but the fact is that is when the most people need our help,” Bostick said. “They’ve lost jobs, had cutbacks, the price of groceries have increased. When you live paycheck to paycheck, you’re walking a really fine line. When there’s an unexpected bump in the road like a doctor bill, car repairs or increase in the cost of goods, it throws your entire budget for a loop. That’s what we see more than anything.”
When someone donates money to “Food,” several programs benefit from it: the Food Pantry, Food for Thought, Christmas Boxes, The Deer Project. When the money is not designated for a specific program, it allows GSM to use the money where it is needed most.
“With the holidays coming up and us already seeing record numbers, the only sure prediction is that the need will be significantly higher than last year,” Bostick said.
“I think people tend to forget that we do more than food and that we do it all year long,” Bostick said. “The undesignated funds are what help us to assist with rent, electric bills and prescriptions as well as keep the doors open and the lights on.”
Bostick said that since giving has been down, GSM has had to limit the number of people helped with rent and utilities.
“We certainly never want to turn people away, but we have to make sure the money we spend has stretch marks on it before it leaves this place,” Bostick said. “The fact of the matter is that GSM has never been as large in scope and service as it is now and that its size is in direct correlation to the needs that exist in our community.”
GSM was started in 1993 to help churches move beyond the walls of their buildings to meet the needs that exist in their community, among their neighbors who are often overlooked, ignored or minimalized, just like the story in the Bible from which the ministry derives its name.
