The Bible tells us that Jesus fed the masses with five loaves of bread and two fish, but Audrey Easterling cannot depend on miracles to stretch the meager offerings in the food pantry at the Salvation Army in Brunswick.
She needs you.
A dozen or so jars of peanut butter, some canned vegetables and several loaves of bread were about all that broke up the stretches of empty space on the shelves in the food pantry Tuesday at the Salvation Army, 2634 Union St. In short, the nonprofit organization would welcome donations of food for its mission to feed the community’s hungry. That includes struggling families, elderly shut-ins and the homeless.
“We need food for our pantry, so we can continue to feed the community,” said Easterling, the longtime case manager at the local Salvation Army. “It’s bare right now, it’s been bare for a while. We’re just trying to get by.”
The Salvation Army’s food pantry experienced a surge of folks in need of feeding in August. Easterling estimated some 500 people called on the facility for food last month, about twice the amount seeking help in a typical month, she said.
She has even had to refer some people to neighboring food pantries, such as the St. Vincent de Paul Society at 1217 Newcastle St. and FaithWorks Ministry’s Sparrow’s Nest at 2911 Altama Ave.
“I don’t know what happened in August,” Easterling said. “I was just flooded, I had people coming left and right.
“And we’ve been seeing more families, first timers who have never been here before,” she added. “And I had a lot of homeless people coming through.”
The Salvation Army’s food pantry was further depleted earlier this month when folks on shoestring budgets heeded the county’s call to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Dorian’s approach.
“After the storm, I had quite a few people come in because they had to spend money to travel,” Easterling said. “So I had people coming into the office needing food after Dorian slipped by — and thank God it did.”
Chief among the food items needed are nonperishable boxed goods, including meal packages for families, she said. “I need boxed items: Hamburger Helper, Stovetop Stuffing, scalloped potatoes, rice, mash potatoes in the box. I need cereals, Pop Tarts.”
Such items typically go toward family meal bags, which provide breakfasts and three dinners to help struggling families. Meats, which Easterling usually obtains from America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia in Glynn County, often supplement meals for families and those who live alone in a residential settings with a refrigerator, she said.
“These people may have bills to pay so they just can’t provide food for their family,” said Easterling, who has seen this scenario often in her 10 years with the Salvation Army. “After spending money on the bills and everything, they’re not able to buy food. So they come to the Salvation Army to get food to feed their families.”
The Salvation Army facility in Brunswick can provide overnight lodging for 26 homeless people — 10 women and 16 men, Easterling said. Feeding those homeless who remain exposed to the elements also is part of the organization’s mission, she said.
Meal bags for the homeless must necessarily include easy access nonperishable foods such as canned meats and fruits, breakfast bars, even Ramen noodles. “We need canned meat, canned tuna, chicken in the can, ravioli in the can, peanut butter and jelly.”
Other items needed include boxed pasta and tomato sauce, as well as large and small bags of rice, she said. The Salvation Army has a refrigerator and freezer, so donations of lunch meats and other meats also would be greatly appreciated, she said.
In addition to the food pantry and the overnight homeless shelter, the Salvation Army also provides the community’s needy with financial assistance, rental assistance, clothing vouchers and other services.
At present, however, Easterling is hoping the community will come through with donations so it can fill those empty spaces on the shelves of its food pantry.
“We have to have food for these people,” she said. “They are a part of our community and they need us.”
Those wishing to donate can bring food to the Salvation Army in Brunswick or call the facility at 912-265-9381. Its website is at: salvationarmygeorgia.org/brunswick
