The face of hunger
POSTED: June 22, 2007
Fran walks a half mile each week to get groceries to stock her cupboards. Even though she works full-time, she still needs assistance.
Donna, director of Blessing Ministry, helps stock bags to give away each week to people in need. |
By Staci Dennis
BRISTOL, Tenn. - After pulling a small wire cart about a half mile from her apartment to a local church, Fran needed to sit down and take a break.
She wiped the sweat from her brow and glanced at the crowd to see if she could spot her friend. She smiled and greeted people as she made her way to the back of the line.
"Life can't be smooth sailing all the time," the 58-year-old said. "Sometimes you need a little help."
Fran attends the First Assembly's Blessing Ministry food giveaway each week. Her neighbor told her about the program and she has been coming ever since.
Even though she works a full-time job at a local motel, Fran still has a hard time paying all her bills and keeping her cupboards stocked with food. To make matters worse, her car broke down and she hasn't had the extra cash to get it repaired.
"There's not much affordable living anymore," she said. "It's hard to make ends meet."
Fran is able to receive help thanks to a unique partnership among Blessing Ministry, the Lord's Storehouse and Operation Blessing's Hunger Strike Force.
Each week the church ministry picks up about 1,000 pounds of food from The Lord's Storehouse, a non-profit food distribution organization, to hand out through their pantry.
The ministry and The Lord's Storehouse are able to distribute these supplies, in part, thanks to Operation Blessing's Hunger Strike Force, who delivers tractor trailer truckloads of food and product to the Lord's Storehouse each week and sometimes more, depending on the need.
"The local economy has changed," said John Reed, manager of the Lord's Storehouse. "It's not as strong as it used to be."
In the last ten years, coal mines, textile mills and large factories have closed down in the area contributing to unemployment rates, Reed said.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an estimated 800,000 families in America will need some sort of food assistance.
The Lord's Storehouse is working to curb those statistics. In just one year, the organization helped feed 32,000 families and distributed nearly 19 million pounds of food with support from OBI.
For Fran, getting the assistance she needs helps her stay on her feet is helpful. In addition, she is motivated to help others, she said. She brought a friend to the food giveaway who had been living in her car for several months.
"Just because I am in need doesn't mean I can't help others," she said. "We all have to do our part."
How You Can Help
Through various networks such as the Lord's Storehouse, the fleet of Hunger Strike Force trucks provides nutritious food and essential supplies to tens of thousands of children and adults in America who face hunger every day. With your help, we can continue to reach even more.
Please make an online donation today. |
Video: 
]