Pantry provides hope in Hidalgo - Effingham Daily News

Pantry provides hope in Hidalgo - Effingham Daily News

HIDALGO — Volunteers at The Hope Food Pantry come from different churches and different communities, but they all come together for one purpose — feeding the hungry.

It's an operation where everyone is a volunteer and nobody holds a fancy title.

Patrons are required to fill out some basic paperwork to receive food, but then the arrangement is much like a small grocery store, including the use of shopping carts. There are guidelines to what quantities a family can have, based on the number of people in the household.

Serving is on the second Saturday of each month, 9-11:30 a.m. at 227 West Harrison St., Hidalgo.

“We plan for 100 families,” said Pastor David Heath with the Hidalgo Independent Christian Church. “Out here in the gymnasium we start with things that must be given away that week, like bread, Danishes and produce.”

Children's faces light up at the selection of cereal, said volunteer Sharon Jackson, of Newton. And the women appreciate the supply of personal hygiene products, sometimes diapers, and over-the-counter medicines the pantry often has to offer, she said.

“Everyone knows what they need to do, and they just do it,” said volunteer Charles Cummings of Hidalgo, about the team of people who help.

And those waiting to be served food never have to stand outside, as there is plenty of space in the community room/gymnasium within the building near the Christian church.

The 6,000-square-foot building was built with much volunteer labor to save costs and The Hope Pantry has been occupying a portion of the space since fall 2015.

It took almost two years to build using as many volunteers as they could get.

The church maintains and pays for two-thirds of the building; while the food pantry maintains and pays for a third.

The Hope Pantry serves on average of 110 families each month in Jasper, Cumberland, Crawford, Coles, Clark and Effingham counties. However, those in Jasper and Cumberland are served first, because the support from churches and individuals are predominately from those counties.

Then they take a shopping cart and move through the canned goods, freezers and refrigeration section.

This past distribution day on Nov. 12, the pantry served 386 people total.

“We don't even call our volunteers on distribution day, they just show up,” said Jackson about the dedicated group.

Heath, said the Hidalgo Independent Christian Church, which owns the relatively new food pantry building nearby, has a long history and it has been in at least three locations since its inception.

The church averages about 50 people in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings, added Heath.

“We stepped out in faith when we built this building,” said Jackson. “It took us three years of discussion to get the nerve to do it. Finally, we decided we had to step out in faith.”

And within their faith, they count on several other churches and a lot of individuals to make it work. An average of 25 volunteers keeps things rolling on distribution days.

Even before the second Saturday of each month, there are people behind the scenes making sure things are ready and orderly, such as Nancy Fear, who takes care of all the ordering; and George Tucker, who drives a truck and pulls a trailer to bring goods to Hidalgo, among others. Steve and Holly Hadra of Ste. Marie make their own laundry detergent and donate it to the pantry, as their personal ministry.

The building has a full service kitchen and restrooms for men and women. It has 12 deep freezers and plenty of shelving. The largest part of the building is used by the church for potlucks, special activities, AWANA meetings and other church events.

“We started out in the townhouse (Community Building) in 2004, here in Hidalgo,” said Cummings. “We were there for a good while. Then we moved into the basement of the Hidalgo Baptist Church and were there several years.”

With the help of volunteer labor, the debt on the building started out about $180,000. Currently, the Hope Food Pantry building has a debt of about $42,600. Organizers plan to have several fundraisers in 2017 to pay for operating expenses and to whittle down the debt, as soon as possible.

“We couldn't do any of this without all of the volunteers,” said Jackson. “This is a ministry. When you are called to do something, you just can't get out. I decided I want to dedicate my hours to this.”

Contact Dawn Schabbing at dawn.schabbing@effinghamdailynews.com or 217-347-7151, ext. 138