By James Windell
By 9:45 am on a recent Wednesday morning, the cars were lined up in the parking lot of the First Congregational Church on Phoenix Street.
That’s the way it has been every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning for the past 50 years or so. And, if anything, the lines have been getting longer this year.
“We feed people three days a week,” says Sue Murphey, one of the volunteers that run the food pantry that operates out of the First Congregational Church in South Haven. “We provide bags of food for many families and senior citizens in our area.”
Murphey, who handles the finances for the First Congregational Church Food Pantry as well as working with government agencies, says that on a typical Monday, Wednesday or Friday morning they provide food for as many as 85 families who show up in their cars.
Because the food pantry works with Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks and food pantries, the food pantry keeps statistics.
“The number of households we have served this year through August numbers 4,363,” says Murphey. “That’s about 100 more than during the same period last year.” She says the number of individuals they’ve given food to during the year so far is almost 14,000.
“This shows that our needs are consistent,” Murphey says. “But our clientele is increasing.”
She explains that the reason for the increase in the number of people coming to the food pantry has to do with increases in the cost of gas, groceries, and utilities, such as electricity. “The bottom line is that it all comes down to low income,” she says.
People who come to the food pantry must answer a few questions about the reason they are seeking food and the number of people in their family. They are then provided with three bags of food. One shopping bag contains canned and packaged goods; one is comprised of fresh produce, such as potatoes, onions and tomatoes; and the third bad is a “protein bag.” That bag is made up of meat or fish, eggs, and cheese.
Murphey says that the food pantry currently has about 30 volunteers who help obtain the food, bag it up, load the bags in recipient’s cars, and deal with the donations of food and money. The food comes from the Feeding America warehouse in Allegan County, donations from local stores, such as Aldi’s, and donations from supporters of the program.
According to Murphey, finances for the food pantry come primarily from outside the church. While the First Congregational Church provides the space for the program, the church does not fund the pantry. “We are donor-based,” Murphey explains. “We get some money through United Way and the We Care program, but we really depend on our loyal group of donors who have been donating to the pantry consistently through the years.”
Murphey tells about recently receiving a donation of food from a woman who asked that for her birthday her friends and relatives should donate food for the pantry. “I think this is a great way to support the food pantry,” Murphey says. “We live in a wealthy community, and this is one good way of giving back to the community because there is also great need in our community as well.”
For those in need of food, any resident in the area can come once a week on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday morning between 10:00 am and noon to the First Congregational Church at 651 Phoenix Street, South Haven. If you would like to donate food, you are welcome to drop off food between 9:00 am and noon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
If you would like to donate money, it should be sent to First Congregational Church Food Pantry, 651 Phoenix, South Haven, MI 49090.
