I’m guessing that right now I could walk into most Fayette County homes and find Thanksgiving leftovers wedged into quite a few fridges. Bits and pieces of what was once the family feast are now relegated to clumps of aluminum foil and Tupperware.
But there are other homes in our community where there are no leftovers because there was never any food to spare in the first place.
Some people think of Fayette County as a place where most folks are doing pretty well, and on average that’s probably true. But the recession, illness and other factors knock some families harder than others, and that happens everywhere.
As of Nov. 1, people who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) have started losing benefits that came with the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. For a family of four, this means losing $36 a month in food aid, which the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says “will be the equivalent of taking away 21 meals per month.”
Local food pantries are already being called upon to help bridge that gap. One such facility is run by Fayette Samaritans, which began in 1991 when 11 churches pooled their resources to establish a central location to distribute food and monetary aid. It is a nonprofit group staffed by volunteers and stocked by donations.
Its vice president, Linda Ladd, says that the families who already rely on food assistance “just can’t stretch it that far. With the cut, those people are going to have a greater need for food.”
Last year Fayette Samaritans gave food and monetary assistance to 1,114 Fayette households, including 725 in greater Fayetteville, 255 in Peachtree City and 77 in Tyrone. Those households included 1,588 children under age 18.
That total has already been surpassed this year. As of September, the group had given aid to 1,337 households, with three more months left to go. Ladd says what used to be 13 or 14 families coming to the food bank each day is now growing closer to 20. “We’re seeing a lot of people for the first time.”
She says individuals and families seek aid because of job loss, reduced job hours and costs related to disability or medical expenses. Those circumstances can occur regardless of your ZIP code. “Fayette County is considered not to have a great need, and that’s not true,” she says. Folks in need around here “stay a little more hidden.”
Fayette Samaritans gets support from church and civic groups, school clubs, companies and individuals, and works with other charities that offer similar assistance.
Perhaps as we polish off our leftovers, we should remember to help feed our neighbors – and in doing so, our souls.
Jill Howard Church has lived in Fayette County since 1994. Reach her at jillptcblog@aol.com.
