Melodie Woerman, Episcopal News Service (ENS); Episcopal churches, food pantries prepare to aid 42 million Americans on food assistance
"Food ministries across The Episcopal Church have been offering aid to federal workers furloughed or working without pay since the Oct. 1 start of the government shutdown, and they are also gearing up to help even more people if food assistance benefits for an estimated 42 million Americans run out on Nov. 1.
Nourishing Bethesda, a nonprofit that began five years ago as an outreach ministry of St. John’s Norwoodin Chevy Chase, Maryland, already has seen an increase in the number of people seeking food help, executive director John Ross told Episcopal News Service. That largely is because many furloughed and unpaid federal workers are in metro-Washington, D.C...
Here are ways other churches are working to provide food to those who need it, based on replies to ENS queries across various platforms:
- St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, is asking members to contribute more items to its food pantry, which is open weekly. It also provides bags of groceries to people who can’t get to the pantry and to people served by Virginia Supportive Housing, a local nonprofit. It also offers a weekly farmer’s market.
- St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown, New York, is partnering with the Jamestown Farmers Market to provide $15 in market vouchers, up to $60 per family, for SNAP recipients and unpaid and furloughed federal workers. The effort has provided more than $7,000 in assistance so far. The church also is providing space in its building this winter for the market, beginning Nov. 1.
- St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Kent, Washington, is gearing up to double the amount of food in its food bank, while awaiting word on whether the state will extend benefits beginning Nov. 1. If needed, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Federal Way, Washington, will provide additional volunteers for St. Columba’s food minstry.
- St. Francis Episcopal Church, Stamford, Connecticut, is setting up a financial “virtual food drive” to support Connecticut Foodshare, the local affiliate of Feeding America.
- St. John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville, Florida, already asks parishioners to bring a bag of groceries to church each week but is encouraging them to increase the amount of food they bring.
- St. John’s Episcopal Church in New Braunfels, Texas, is providing parishioners with an Amazon Wish List of items needed by the local food bank. Items will be shipped to the church for delivery in bulk, taking a load off food bank workers.
- Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Hastings, Michigan, is planning to buy gift cards for the Thanksgiving meal the supermarket chain Aldi is offering. They also are hoping to provide a sack of groceries to guests at their Saturday community breakfast.
- Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge, New Jersey, is providing special donation boxes made by parish children to help people who are food insecure. It also has added “SNAP Aid” to its online giving options.
- St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Arlington, Virginia, is asking everyone attending the parish annual meeting Nov. 2 to bring food for the local food pantry. In addition, undesignated offerings that day will benefit the pantry. The church also will be launching a “food and fund” drive to run through January, which the pantry reports is its hardest month.
- Church of the Holy Communion in Memphis, Tennessee, is hoping to expand its annual Advent canned-ham drive to a ham-plus effort to collect hearty soups, canned meals and more.
- St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Durham, North Carolina, is asking members to bring more food than usual for donation to Urban Ministries of Durham, the local shelter and food pantry the church helped found years ago.
- St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Barnstable, Massachusetts, is continuing its food efforts – preparing and serving meals at local sites and helping to provide 300 Thanksgiving meals – as the rector, the Rev. Michael Horvath, encouraged all parishioners to explore how they could do more in light of the expected loss of SNAP benefits, asking “What can we offer that makes love tangible?”"
