Generosity makes this work

In one sense we love this time of the year – the spirit of giving is everywhere, people are generally more cheerful, and a natural renewal of hope, priorities, and goals happen with the changing of the calendar to a new year.

In almost 65 years on this planet, nothing has reset my way of thinking more than the simple magic of the date, Jan. 1. Goals, hopes, and plans all seem to rotate around this magical first day of the first month of the new year.

As 2024 ended, 18 new pantries were placed in service during the year, some managed by hosts and some by our volunteers. Each pantry holds several hundred meals, and we have no accurate way to report meals that are donated by you, by pantry hosts or volunteers that donate food directly into a pantry. We do track the meals that Feeding Team volunteers place in pantries. Throughout 2024 over 100,000 meals have gone from volunteers into volunteer-managed pantries. It is safe to say that another 70,000 have gone from hosts into host-managed pantries. This does not include pet food, personal hygiene, and toiletries.

Contrast this with the opposing sense, fear, shame, the sense of need, of desperation and of hunger. In over two decades of doing food charity service, we have never seen the need at present levels. Other local food charities report that 2024 has been the highest need year in memory. With food costs up, distribution costs increasing, and demand skyrocketing, despair meets discouragement, and the smallest of hiccups in life force people to find alternatives to feed their families.

The generosity of our neighbors is on full display as together we continue to meet the needs of hungry neighbors. As an example, this week an errant driver on State Road 38 took out the mailbox at the Feeding Team office. Unfortunately, the driver left the scene and left us to deal with the damage.

But as Paul Harvey would say, here’s the rest of the story.

Since we posted about the incident on our social media platforms, no fewer than 10 different neighbors offered to repair the damage or donate to have it done. Shout out to Dave Absher for his time and repair skills and to Lee Ackerman and the team at LA Landscapes for donating time to fix the mess. One local company even donated a big, bright, yellow industrial-size mailbox. Thank you Hammer MetalWerks and Derek Hammer. We love the color choice and will proudly display your work soon.

This month over a dozen groups from all over Hamilton County collected non-perishable food and donated it to us for general distribution or donated directly into multiple pantries. The incredible generosity of people is on display often. It is important to acknowledge that without all that you do, we could not help as many people and there would be more families going without.

If you find yourself in need – maybe occasionally you are like I was, a member of the working poor – then Feeding Team Pantry’s are especially for you. They are here for you, 24/7/365. They are completely anonymous, with no shame and no guilt. We take no information and have no expectations of you other than you merely take only what you need please. Leave food for others that are also in need. Some future day, we hope that you consider giving what food you can and sharing your blessings with others that could use some help.

The Feeding Team launched pantry 76 recently, with location 77 already secured, it will be deployed in the coming weeks. We are grateful for the support of our community, volunteers, sponsors, and donors. Thank you.

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With over 40,000 food-challenged neighbors in Hamilton County, FeedingTeam.org is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides outdoor 24/7/365 no-questions-asked free food pantries throughout the county.

The pantries exist to meet the food insecurity needs of gap families, neighbors who may not qualify for public assistance and could use a few meals before payday. The pantries serve as many food-challenged neighbors as possible, and our hearts are with those who, like my family, could not always make ends meet.

Thank you for supporting the pantries. We love serving with so many neighbors across Hamilton County. In future columns, we will share more stories about how your generosity served neighbors in times of need. The face of hunger in Hamilton County is not what you may think.

In practical terms, this straightforward way to help neighbors is having real impact on lives, families, and our communities. Thank you. A few meals can change the course of a person’s life. A can of green beans means so much more when you have nothing to feed your kids.

Would you like to get involved? Volunteer opportunities are available. We are evaluating new pantry locations. If you think you have a potential location, please contact us.

Mark and Lisa Hall are the Founders of Feeding Team. They may be reached at lisa@feedingteam.org and mark@feedingteam.org or by calling (317) 832-1123.