People often ask me questions about our food pantry: how it is used, whether we have enough food, what sorts of items do we like to keep on hand, and so forth.  I love having the food pantry ministry here and it is a great blessing to the staff to be able to give something to those in need when often they are faced with unsolvable problems in their lives.  The gift of a bag of food is a tangible symbol of Christ’s love and caring.  While there have been times when we have been faced with bare shelves, this year the generosity of the congregation has kept us at the ready for those who come for help.  When our pantry is overflowing, you will be pleased to know that your generosity serves others: what we don’t need is taken to the Salvation Army food pantry.  Your gifts never go to waste.  Some times of the year are busier than others for food requests, but with the whole staff having access to the pantry we have a great deal of turnover and there has never been any question in my mind of the need for this ministry.  Often we are serving people who arrived at the Salvation Army after hours or when it was closed; or frequently we deal with homeless people who are moving from town to town and entered Emporia from the highway—so we are grateful to those who give things that can be easily opened and don’t need to be cooked.  We also appreciate items that make a meal for a whole family without requiring a lot of extra ingredients.  Many, many thanks to all of you who contribute so generously and so consistently.  Your gifts feed those in need of love as well as food.

In Christ, Claudia