S.S. Morris AME Community Church’s Food Pantry
Increasing food demand
Increasing food demand
By Jonathan Gramling
As income levels across the nation have become skewed and the middle class
has been getting squeezed more and more, the problem of hunger in America was
getting worse. With the advent of the current recession last year, the conditions have
become exacerbated.
For the past three years, S.S. Morris AME Community Church has been offering a
food pantry on the third Wednesday of every month. These days, a mobile food pantry
— courtesy of Kraft Foods — filled with foodstuffs from Second Harvest Foodbank
pulls up in S.S. Morris’ parking lot, opens up its retractable side doors and sets up
shop. After people’s IDS have been checked, they move through the line and collect
the items that they need.
There has always been a demand for the food there. Nowadays, it has gotten
significantly worse. “People are hurting,” exclaimed Rev. Gregory Armstrong, pastor
of S.S. Morris. “We have served almost 200 families that have come through.
Oftentimes, we don’t have anything left. I think we are seeing more people. We are
seeing people who are out of work, whose unemployment has run out or is near an
end. People are just trying to make ends meet. No one gets denied.”
As income levels across the nation have become skewed and the middle class
has been getting squeezed more and more, the problem of hunger in America was
getting worse. With the advent of the current recession last year, the conditions have
become exacerbated.
For the past three years, S.S. Morris AME Community Church has been offering a
food pantry on the third Wednesday of every month. These days, a mobile food pantry
— courtesy of Kraft Foods — filled with foodstuffs from Second Harvest Foodbank
pulls up in S.S. Morris’ parking lot, opens up its retractable side doors and sets up
shop. After people’s IDS have been checked, they move through the line and collect
the items that they need.
There has always been a demand for the food there. Nowadays, it has gotten
significantly worse. “People are hurting,” exclaimed Rev. Gregory Armstrong, pastor
of S.S. Morris. “We have served almost 200 families that have come through.
Oftentimes, we don’t have anything left. I think we are seeing more people. We are
seeing people who are out of work, whose unemployment has run out or is near an
end. People are just trying to make ends meet. No one gets denied.”
Robert Mohelnitzky, the former executive director of Second Harvest Foodbank, has witnessed the demand for food in the multi-county
area that they serve. And the characteristics of those in need are changing.
“We’re thinking just based on anecdotal discussions with our partners that there has been a 25-20 percent increase in their traffic, on
average, in the pantries,” Mohelnitzky said. “Some pockets like Rock County are worse. Others aren’t as affected. And there are new faces of
people who thought they would never be asking for help. There are people who used to give to food pantries who are now receiving. We’re
glad we can be there for them. There are a lot of families coming through. Before the recession we weren’t meeting the need. So the recession
has really made our work harder and the challenge greater as well as more important. We’re working very, very hard. We would like to bring in
five million more pounds in the next three years just to meet the need. Unemployment will continue many, many months after the recession is
out of the news and people think there is a recovery in place. People won’t get back to work for a long time. So we need to be there for the long
haul.”
On hand this particular Wednesday along with the other church and community volunteers was First Lady Jessica Doyle. While American has
become such an individualistic society, Doyle’s thoughts harkened back to a past severe economic downturn when people relied on each
other to get through the crisis.
“It’s really a fine line between those who give food and those who need it,” Doyle emphasized. “Today, a lot of people might be donating
food here and working at a mobile food pantry like this. Tomorrow, any of us could be on the other side and any of us could be concerned with
getting enough food and feeding our families. I think even in the best of times, of course, we know there is a very small difference between the
people here who are volunteering and the people who are receiving food. But especially during this time of need, I think it is really important
for those people who have the time to step up and help out.”
We all get by with a little help from our friends and neighbors.
area that they serve. And the characteristics of those in need are changing.
“We’re thinking just based on anecdotal discussions with our partners that there has been a 25-20 percent increase in their traffic, on
average, in the pantries,” Mohelnitzky said. “Some pockets like Rock County are worse. Others aren’t as affected. And there are new faces of
people who thought they would never be asking for help. There are people who used to give to food pantries who are now receiving. We’re
glad we can be there for them. There are a lot of families coming through. Before the recession we weren’t meeting the need. So the recession
has really made our work harder and the challenge greater as well as more important. We’re working very, very hard. We would like to bring in
five million more pounds in the next three years just to meet the need. Unemployment will continue many, many months after the recession is
out of the news and people think there is a recovery in place. People won’t get back to work for a long time. So we need to be there for the long
haul.”
On hand this particular Wednesday along with the other church and community volunteers was First Lady Jessica Doyle. While American has
become such an individualistic society, Doyle’s thoughts harkened back to a past severe economic downturn when people relied on each
other to get through the crisis.
“It’s really a fine line between those who give food and those who need it,” Doyle emphasized. “Today, a lot of people might be donating
food here and working at a mobile food pantry like this. Tomorrow, any of us could be on the other side and any of us could be concerned with
getting enough food and feeding our families. I think even in the best of times, of course, we know there is a very small difference between the
people here who are volunteering and the people who are receiving food. But especially during this time of need, I think it is really important
for those people who have the time to step up and help out.”
We all get by with a little help from our friends and neighbors.
S.S. Morris Pastor Gregory Armstrong (l-r), First Lady
Jessica Doyle, former Second Harvest CEO Robert
Mohelnitzky and Rudolph, a volunteer.
Jessica Doyle, former Second Harvest CEO Robert
Mohelnitzky and Rudolph, a volunteer.
The S.S. Morris food pantry featured a mobile food
pantry that Kraft Foods donated to Second
Harvest.The S.S. Morris food pantry featured a
mobile food pantry that Kraft Foods donated to
Second Harvest.
pantry that Kraft Foods donated to Second
Harvest.The S.S. Morris food pantry featured a
mobile food pantry that Kraft Foods donated to
Second Harvest.