Building Community - Feeding the Hungry
The Journal-Sun is going to be working with Harvest House Food pantry to help provide a need for canned food and other storable goods by providing a drop-off box at the Journal-Sun and donating $5.00 from every mailed-in subscription to the work they provide.
“Our location in Atlanta, Texas”, says Paul McDonald director of Harvest House, “places us in a unique location that allows us to serve rural communities in three states. Harvest House serves Cass County Texas, Bowie County Texas, Miller County Arkansas, and Caddo Parish Louisiana. The Harvest House’s goal is to alleviate hunger by soliciting, collecting, growing, and packaging food for distribution to those in need. Their services include a Senior Food Box Program and an Emergency Food Program to feed any families or persons that need help.”
The organization is not only self-funded, but it also relies on donations from the community and other charitable organizations to fully meet the needs of feeding the hungry. The Harvest House services are a small investment in comparison to the cost of ignoring the problem of hunger.
They are an entity of Trinity Church, which is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. But loves and works with other churches and non-profit organizations around the area.
Harvest House started as a Trinity Church food pantry, but Pastor Darrel Littleton knew right away that to meet the needs of our community we would have to expand and with the hard work of so many from the congregation the Harvest House was built and began operations in June 2022. “I was appointed by Pastor Littleton and the board to serve as the Operations Manager (Administrator) to get Harvest House up and running. My wife and I work as a team to manage day-to-day operations on not only giving food out but also soliciting and collecting food donations. “
Paul says, “Our focus has been and is on the seniors in our communities and the single-parent families, but we serve anyone in need.
“We currently average over 700 families a month and we are open by appointment only. Appointments help us ensure that our resources are going out to where they are needed and allow us time to address any other needs that a recipient may have.
“Our only qualifier for assistance is to be in need. Our biggest needs are canned goods and dry goods. We also need monthly monetary donations.
“We see a different scenario in our communities here than what is seen in larger cities.
“In a larger city you will see homeless walking the streets, maybe holding a sign asking for help.
“In our rural communities a lot of our neighbors are going hungry, and you never see it or realize it because most are housed, have jobs or social security and the majority have a vehicle.
“What we see here is called food insecurity. In a food insecure house especially with our seniors and our single moms a small rise in gas prices, utility bills or just an unexpected event creates a deficit, and they make the tough choice---food, bills, medicine, or gas to go to work or school.”
Paul goes on to say that he gets feedback from our seniors in the community who thank us because the food we give them allows them to purchase their monthly medicines.
In these food-insecure households, these are daily decisions. These decisions usually lead to them skipping meals and some going a couple of days without eating. This has a negative impact on physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
“Your donations help us help them. Together we can make a difference.” This is how the Journal-Sun decided to join forces with them this month. We will have a box located in our lobby for canned foods and dried goods throughout the holidays.
The Journal-Sun is not associated with Harvest House. Harvest House will be hopefully one of many the paper hopes to work with, with the goal of strengthening our community.