Food pantry gets helping hand - Pauls Valley Daily Democrat

The call is out from Pauls Valley’s churches and their members to help a local food pantry restock its shelves.

It’s called Samaritan Sunday.

Set for this Sunday, Sept. 25., the annual event asks for donations of food and money for the PV Samaritans.

Local activist Lou Hall of the Samaritans says this is the day for churches to offer a helping hand to a pantry that offers food to low income residents in Pauls Valley.

“We have always asked churches to help us get donations,” Hall said.

“We sent out 37 letters early so everybody who belongs to a church will get the word, not just those who attend worship,” she adds. “We did that so they can participate in this drive to get food to restock our shelves.

“We live on donations. We don’t have income except for what people give us.”

Those turning to the Samaritans can receive help once every three months. They have to meet the same guidelines as those qualifying for food stamps.

In other words, these are the folks in real need of some help.

“We’re here for people who are food insecure; for parents who don’t know if they have enough food for their kids.”

When in doubt of those qualifications Hall says the Samaritans are more likely to help because that’s the real mission here.

“We want it to be because we’re compassionate,” she said. “If we deal with people who are desperate we don’t want to turn them down.”

The Samaritans are an organization consisting of volunteers from many of the local churches. These volunteers believe they’re doing the “Lord’s ministry” by helping those in need.

Hall stresses they don’t discriminate but instead stick to the mission of helping.

For Samaritan Sunday church members are asked to bring a selected number of food items with them to worship services.

The food items needed include canned meats, stew and chili, along with canned fruits and vegetables, Stovetop dressing and cornmeal mix. No home canned foods or glass jars.

Donations can be taken to church this Sunday, the local chamber of commerce during the week or the food pantry’s new home in the old NYA building in Wacker Park. For a pick up of donations, call 405-207-9077 and leave a message.

The pantry also receives help from other places, like schools, the Scouts and local residents.

Checks supporting the effort can be mailed to P.O. Box 638 in Pauls Valley.

One other big thanks from Hall goes out to the city of PV.

“We want to brag on the city. They gave us this building and they pay the utilities.”