A call for help!

By Bev Davis
Register-Herald senior editor

May 01, 2008 09:28 pm

— Some of the people hit hardest by rising food prices are those who depend on organizations that provide free meals for them.
Volunteers at Carpenter’s Corner in Beckley see dwindling cupboards and freezers these days, according to Wanda Epperly, incoming board president.
“The community has supported us through food drives and donations, and especially through volunteer help, but our needs are becoming greater all the time,” Epperly said.
About 85 people eat at Carpenter’s Corner each week. Factor in the amount of food used for seconds and take-outs, and the total is more than 100 meals.
The menu always includes a serving of meat, vegetables, salad or slaw, dessert and bread. Beverages served are coffee, tea and Kool-Aid.
“In the summer, we expect to see more children who will no longer be getting meals at school,” Epperly said. “It would break our hearts if we ever had to close the doors here, because we see how great the need is here in Beckley.”
The support of First Christian Church, which provides the building and kitchen, cannot be overstated, she said. “This is such an important ministry, and the church makes a huge contribution by providing a place for us to prepare and serve the meals three days a week,” Epperly said.
The 501(c)3 program qualifies for food from a USDA program. However, funding cuts have made a change for this agency.
“We used to get a monthly distribution, but now, the USDA donations come randomly,” Epperly said.
Frugality is a word volunteers learn quickly, she said.
“We don’t waste anything. All food that is prepared and not served to our clients is distributed to other agencies, such as the Southern West Virginia Fellowship Home, Storm Haven, the Women’s Resource Center or Pine Haven Homeless Services. When we have more than we can use, we share. We are very careful with our paper products and supplies so that we are putting everything to good use.”
Although there are ample volunteers, there is still a need for people willing to get a food handler’s license.
Carpenter’s Corner, named after Jesus, a carpenter by trade when He lived on Earth, is a ministry that feeds bodies and souls, Epperly said.
“Several of our clients are now faithfully attending churches in town,” Epperly said. “As volunteers, we always try to be sensitive to their emotional needs and spiritual needs. We talk with them and try to encourage them. Many are lonely, and they need someone to talk to and to be kind to them.”
How can the community help this ministry remain vital?
Donations of money and the following items are always needed.
- bathroom tissue
- disposable cups, large and small, in which to serve beverages
- bleach
- dishwashing liquid
- coffee, tea, Kool-Aid
- bags of onions
- pudding
- industrial-size cans of baked beans, green beans, corn, peas
- boxes of spaghetti, wide noodles, rice
- jars of spaghetti sauce
“When schools or churches sponsor food drives, that is a tremendous help to us,” Epperly said. “We need to keep replenishing our shelves all the time, because we use so much each week. As the price of food and everything else goes up, the people affected most are the people who already have the least. We are here to help keep them from falling through the cracks.”
— E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com

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