God's Food Pantry needs help year-round -- not just at Christmas

Dec. 31—Like everyone else, the new year is a chance for God's Food Pantry to look back at its accomplishments and look forward towards its future.

But unlike most, it can't accomplish its 2023 goals with just a simple New Year's resolution.

The reality is that the nonprofit food bank is suffering from the weakened economy from both ends. As God's Food Pantry Executive Director Brenda Russell explained, the charity is in a "tough spot, with fewer donations coming in, higher costs to take care of the community and more mouths to feed."

The statistics Russell provides tell the story: Food and overhead costs have increased 20% in 2022, while food donations are down 50% and monetary donations are down 14%.

That's on top of having more families coming to God's Food Pantry for help.

"The number of families in need continues to grow, and this past year has seen the greatest growth in need that we have seen. In 2021, we added 309 new families to our list of those we help. In 2022, that number more than doubled, as 654 families came to us who had not used our services in the past," Russell said.

That means the pantry currently serves around 4,000 families at least once or twice a year. Many of those families come for help more often than that.

Times were tough even leading into the Christmas season — one of the most popular times of the year for the community to donate.

"In a typical year, the food and money donations God's Food Pantry receives in November and December carry the pantry through until about June or July," Russell said. "This year, the shelves went empty much sooner than usual, and summer food drives brought in very little to help the situation.

"We squeaked through the summer, but found that by September we desperately needed help filling the shelves."

A call out to friends on Facebook helped get the pantry some supplies. Russell specifically thanked Grace Baptist Church, whose members started a campaign that filled the shelves within a few days.

"They would never ask for credit for what they did, but their efforts were so very, very much appreciated," Russell said.

"The sad truth is that when we are filling hungry people's tummies, the shelves don't stay full and we have to stay on a continuous mission to make sure we keep filling them. And not just in November and December. We need to work at it all year long."

That's why every year, Russell does her part to remind members of the community that charitable giving shouldn't stop at the end of the holidays. The same families that are food insecure at Christmas are still that way in July. And often times, the summer months are harder because those families' children aren't in school, where they can get a guaranteed meal once each school day.

Part of the problem is the current economy, with soaring inflation and higher fuel prices which are causing anything shipped to stores — including groceries — to be more expensive.

"For some families, the rising prices are inconvenient, but they are managing by tightening up the budget a bit and moving on. These are often the families who generously give to charity but find themselves giving less as part of their cutbacks," Russell said.

"For other families, the rising costs mean they now have to turn to God's Food Pantry for assistance just to have food to eat," she added.

That doesn't mean Russell is only looking at the negative going into the new year. She still finds much to celebrate, not the least of which is that God's Food Pantry has been helping Pulaski families for four decades.

"God's Food Pantry could not do what it does without the support of our incredible community," she said. " ... I know that we have hit a rocky spot in the road with this economy, but I also know that this too shall pass. We will weather this storm and continue moving forward. We will continue searching for ways to make our community better, and I promise that we will stretch any donation given as far as we can to the best of our ability."

Anyone who does have the ability to provide monetary donations, Russell said they can drop those off at the building, located at 119 S. Central Ave. in Somerset; they can mail checks to God's Food Pantry at P.O. Box 259, Somerset, KY 42502; they can use debit/credit cards or PayPal through their PayPal account at gfp8560@gmail.com; or they can use their debit or credit cards by calling 606-679-8560.

Carla Slavey can be reached at cslavey@somerset-kentucky.com