11/25/2009 10:15:00 PM
The Circle of Giving: Prescott church donates record
number of Thanksgiving food boxes
| |
|
 |
Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier
Joel Cox rides his bike away with his bagged Thanksgiving meal from the First Baptist Church in Prescott on Tuesday. The church had 1,026 boxes ready to go and as of noon had already distributed almost half of them. |
|
Only six days ago, Marcia Moeller laid in intensive care with bilateral pneumonia, no doubt wondering whether she would make it to Thanksgiving.
For nearly 20 years, life has been a struggle for Moeller, who has wrestled with fibromyalgia and degenerative arthritis, among other afflictions.
Despite her troubles, this past week Moeller got out of the hospital and had plenty for which to be grateful. Late Tuesday morning, Moeller sat patiently in the First Baptist Church's sanctuary, 148 S. Marina St., waiting for a food box that she could share with friends today, Nov. 26.
Originally from Portland, Ore., Moeller began receiving Thanksgiving food from the church's annual two-day drive three years ago.
Moeller's friend and neighbor, Veronica Hurst, drove her to the church so she could register for a food box since she does not own a car.
"This is a blessing. I haven't been able to hold down a job since 1996," said Moeller, her voice cracking. "I was a nurse all my life. I tried to go back to work to help my dad when my mother died. I put myself back to school to be a flight attendant. It just hasn't worked out."
Hurst, who's on a fixed income for a disability, has picked up a turkey from the church for the past two years. She said she will stuff the bird today while teaching her 9-year-old grandson how to prepare it.
"This makes it easier when family comes so that I can actually have a Thanksgiving," Hurst said.
As her way of returning the favor, Hurst donates fresh tomatoes from her parents' garden in the summertime to Catholic Social Services in Prescott. She also gives clothes and shoes to the less fortunate.
"It's my way of giving back to other people who are a lot worse off than I am," she said.
***
Jim Peterson, the First Baptist Church's reach-out coordinator, has helped organize the food drive, which ended Wednesday night, for the past 30 years.
The church gives food boxes to underprivileged folks from Prescott and Prescott Valley and to those living as far away as the Mayer corridor, Spring Valley, Skull Valley, Wilhoit and Yarnell. It used to donate to Chino Valley residents, but that community's food bank has taken over the responsibility. Yavapai Food Bank in PV is another contributor.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, 150 to 170 volunteers pieced together more than 1,000 boxes for delivery, although they had prepared to donate as many as 1,226, which is a record for the church. This past year, First Baptist distributed 966 boxes.
To qualify for food, individuals and/or families filled out a registration form in advance that listed their income. Those who received boxes handed a ticket to a volunteer, who marked the names off their list.
Each box contained a frozen turkey, stuffing, cereal, macaroni and cheese, canned vegetables and fruit, and a sack of potatoes. If and when the church ran out of food during the drive, it bought more items to avoid turning away those in need.
Church members buy and donate most of the food, but students from Granite Mountain Middle and Abia Judd Elementary schools gave about 3,000 cans for the 2009 drive. As they have for the past 20 years, pupils from Granite Mountain also helped sort the food at the sanctuary.
Peterson said the food drive is an ongoing effort that takes months of preparation. Volunteers collect non-perishables whenever grocery stores have special sales and begin stockpiling them in June. The church ultimately filled six storage units with food and/or boxes at off-site locations.
Connie Ballard, a volunteer who shops for food for the church, tries to keep the congregation's food cupboard stocked. She watches for sales and collects coupons from church members.
"We start looking for good prices on things months ahead of time when we can get them so we're ready," she said. "We have had a tremendous response from our church. People have not only donated food, but their time, to help out. It all comes together amazingly well."
***
During the church's three services Sunday morning, the congregation's members brought in their food. In the afternoon, volunteers sorted all of the items. On Tuesday morning, they hauled in the food gathered at the storage units and the schools.
The economy has been so poor, Peterson said, that this year the church is seeing a lot of working families suffering from layoffs and cutbacks on their hours. Many others have had their homes foreclosed or have been evicted, leaving them with no place to turn.
"We've got a community that's hurting out there right now," said Peterson, 69, whose volunteers stacked the boxes in pews along one side of the sanctuary.
Despite their circumstances, Ballard said some of those who are less fortunate give food back when they can. Others feel ashamed to ask for help because they've never had to, but the church reassures them that it's OK to accept a gift when they are overwhelmed.
"We're seeing quite a few more people who are really struggling and people who are living in their cars who used to have a home," Ballard said. "It's really difficult."
Peterson said a big difference at this year's drive was the increased number of large families and retired, fixed-income elderly who showed up at the church needing food for a simple Thanksgiving meal.
"There's a mandate in (biblical) scripture that we are to reach out and help those in need," Peterson said. "And I love doing that."
|
Posted: Thursday, November 26, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
After reading this story, there are many people who should realize that Thanksgiving, is just that, giving thanks and hoping we have someone to share it with. So many people just take this day as just another day to eat, not realizing that their is always someone less fortunate than we are.
|
Article Comment Submission Form
|
|
