It is hard to believe that the harvest is moving to a close in many areas and pumpkins abound. We all know what that means. The holidays are right around the corner.
For many of us this celebration of the harvest and then the joy of all things Christmas lifts our spirits and makes us hopeful for the future. It can also create a lot of stress for people that do not have the means to celebrate. This is where you can help.
FISH has been scrambling to gain funds through donations of individuals, corporate and business support and grant writing. We have had many successes and are awaiting outcomes on some of our efforts. The issue, for at least our food program, is the huge increase in the number of clients. One year ago we rarely broke 300 families with visits twice each month. Since spring and summer our numbers have soared to more than 400 families twice a month. This means of course that we have a greater struggle to keep our shelves filled with product and the money to pay for it.
Our government commodities, that are free to us, have shrunk to a few types of canned or dried vegetables, fruits or nuts. So as we approach Thanksgiving we want to provide a holiday to celebrate for everyone in our community. That means a turkey, chicken or ham for everyone’s table. It means fresh fruits and vegetables, it means mixes for breads, rolls, cakes and pies. Everything that you want on your table others do as well. If you are able to provide some of these items for us or want to do a drive in your church or social group to make sure everyone has one specific item please communicate with us about how you plan to help. Together we can bring joy to everyone’s table.
Last year we received less than 30 turkeys for our clients. We want to do better this year. If you can provide the money for us to order items in bulk that can work too. December holidays are of course drawing near as well. Our focus for that holiday time is also food centered where families get together and share meals. Please let us know if you have a way to help. Our space is really limited but we do have a storage unit to store items for later shelving.
It is obvious that all of this effort, as well as getting through winter when donations go down, is a challenge for our coordinator and the volunteers. Please consider when planning your end of the year giving a donation to FISH so when product does not come from food drives there is money to purchase bulk items. We stretch every dollar to make it work for our community.
Our clothing and linen programs continue to thrive. More hangers and display racks have been added to provide more clothes for those in need. Remember men’s small waist pants are always on the top of our list with children’s clothes and shoes not far behind. We have changed to winter clothing so coats and sweaters are welcome.
Please contact FISH through our P.O. Box 261 in Crawfordsville or call us with plans for your way to help. Our phone number is 765-362-3474. Together we can fill everyone’s table through the holidays.
Linda Cherry, president of FISH, contributes a monthly column to the Journal Review.
