|
Frequently Asked Questions about our Food Pantry Q: When is our food pantry open? A: Our food pantry is open each Wednesday morning from 9:00 am until 11:00 am. Q: Who do we serve? A: We happily serve anyone who is hungry or needs food. We have some clients who come in at the end of the month when there is no more money left for food. Some clients have been laid off and are between jobs. Others may have unexpected medical bills and need help with groceries. Q: Where does the food come from? A: We receive food donations on a regular basis from Sunday School classes, scout troops and members of our congregation. In addition we hold food drives at the church on a quarterly or as needed basis and receive food from food drives held at our Preschool and other community agencies. We also are supported monetarily by the United Methodist Women, Faithful Fellowship, Son Risers, Sorta 50’s and Circle of Friends Sunday School Classes. CFUMC is a partner with the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The Atlanta Community Food Bank currently distributes almost 2 million pounds of food and other donated grocery items monthly to its partner agencies. We are able to purchase food from the Atlanta Community Food Bank at a very low cost. Q: Why should I purchase food from the store if we can get it at a much lower price at the food bank? A: A typical grocery bag is filled with cans of vegetables, soup, tuna or chicken, rice, dried or canned beans, canned fruit, peanut butter, macaroni & cheese, crackers, spaghetti sauce and pasta, cereal and a dessert. While it is advantageous for us to order and receive food from the ACFB, many times they do not have these items in stock. When this happens, we rely solely on our donated items and use donated funds to fill in with purchases at grocery stores. Q: How does our food pantry operate? A: Our food pantry operates with the help of our wonderful volunteers who show up each week. Each day there is activity in the pantry. Because we are space-challenged, we store some food off site, some food is stored in the PODs behind the pantry and, of course, we have food on the shelves of the pantry. The pantry is only large enough to house enough food to pack 60 grocery bags, so we must restock the shelves four times weekly and pack bags three times weekly to meet the growing needs of our clients. Volunteers also pick up bread and bakery items from BJ’s and two local Publix stores and on Tuesday evenings, volunteers move the groceries and baked goods to the distribution site in rooms 18, 19 and 20 in the Sanctuary building. On Wednesdays, volunteers help our clients sign in and carry food to their cars. In addition, we have volunteers who drive to the ACFB to pick up food and unload the van. And other volunteers who help move the food from storage in various locations to the pantry.
|
