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| Phyllis Stoolmacher |
33 rounds in 15 seconds: "That much fire power should be limited to police and military,” said Phyllis Stoolmacher, director, Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, as she
reflected on the Sandy Hook Elementary School carnage in Connecticut during the
interview about feeding hungry children in New Jersey. “Law abiding citizens
who already own those firearms, let them keep their rifles. But it’s time for
change. I don't see a need for the general public to have dangerous military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition," she said.
"It's common sense to have universal background checks and better access to healthcare for the mentally ill by destigmatizing it. I feel for the families of those slain children in Connecticut. That is why I work so hard for the good of our children. They need our support to keep them safe and nutritionally fed," explained Stoolmacher.
To
everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. (Eccl. 3:1)
Not only is February the second month of the
year to demonstrate commitments to resolutions many of us made at the beginning
of 2013, it is also Black History Month. Initially started in 1926 as Negro
History Week during the second week of February by Harvard-trained Carter G.
Woodson (1875-1950) to promote contributions of blacks to American society, he strategically
set the week. He purposely set the date to coincide with the birthdays of
Abraham Lincoln, February 12, 1809 and Frederick Douglass February 17, 1818. (Perhaps
this was Woodson’s demonstration of his own resolution.)
As part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s inner-circle and his vow to
continue Dr. King’s work for the poor, Hosea Lorenzo Williams (January
5, 1926 – November 16, 2000) founded Hosea
Feed the Hungry, Atlanta, GA
in 1971. As a Civil Rights leader, ordained minister, philanthropist and
politician, Williams founded one of the largest social services organizations
in the U.S. that set aside holidays to feed the poor and the hungry.
His work continues in varying ways with food banks nationwide.
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| Started in 1987, Mercer Street Friends Food Bank volunteers sort and
assemble food items that will be delivered by truckload to feed the hungry
throughout Mercer County. |
“Hunger reaches into every household touched
by poverty. In New Jersey, one of the wealthiest states in the country, more
than 750,000 residents are at risk
for hunger, half are children. Here, in Mercer County, NJ, over 25,000 residents
struggle to put food on the table each and every day,” said Stoolmacher.
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we
see You hungry and feed You, or
thirsty and give You drink? When did
we see You a stranger and take You
in, or naked and clothe You? Or when
did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to
you, inasmuch as you did it to
one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:37-40
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| Preparing for movement of food deliveries at Mercer Street Friends Food Bank warehouse |
“Most
of us have never had to go to bed on an empty stomach. But for those who do,
Mercer Street Friends Food Bank is here to help.”
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| Phyllis Stoolmacher, director, Mercer Street Friends Food Bank for 25 years |
“If you can’t feed your nation, everything
else is irrelevant,” said Phyllis Stoolmacher, director, Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, Ewing, NJ. She
added that the military must be fed well to maintain their strength. The
workforce must be fed well or they will end in poor health, creating increased
sick days, impacting productivity and reduced employer revenue. She emphasized
that people need to have food to live and to succeed. Besides, she added that children,
who are our future, won’t be able to learn on empty stomachs, which would
negatively impact our society long term.
“I am thankful for the help we received from
the federal government. If it were not for the USDA (U.S. Department of
Agriculture) and NJ State Department of Agriculture, we would be unable to help
as many families as we do today,” said Stoolmacher.
The
USDA provides 30-40 percent of the food Mercer Street Friends Food Bank
receives for distribution to the needy.
Mercer Street Friends Food Bank started out
distributing 80,000 pounds of food annually. It increased to 3 million pounds
but is now down to 2.5 million pounds.
Every week the food bank distributes 40,000
to 50,000 pounds of nutritious food that goes to food pantries, soup kitchens,
homeless shelters, senior citizen sites, child care centers, youth programs,
group homes and social services programs for the disabled--to feed those who
would otherwise go hungry.
“Send Hunger Packing”
“For kids at school, I felt okay with the
breakfast and lunch programs the NJ State Department of Agriculture provides to
schools at reduced prices for at-risk children Monday through Friday,” said
Stoolmacher. “But the question that lingered on my mind was, ‘What happens on
Saturdays and Sundays when the kids are not at school? Do they get enough to
eat over the weekends or do they go hungry?’”
Mercer Street Friends Food Bank partnered with local
schools to make sure children do not go hungry during the weekends, creating
the “Send Hunger Packing” program.
With the “Send Hunger Packing” program,
Mercer Street Friends Food Bank provides nutritional food in a back pack on the
weekends when school is in session.
“They give this back pack to children who
live in households where there is little food to eat on the weekends when
school is not in session. This program reassures us that the children will not
go hungry on the weekends. Instead, these children will have food to eat each Saturday
and Sunday throughout the school year,” said Stoolmacher.
“We give the back packs to the children on Fridays
stocked with food that children can easily serve and eat themselves. The
children return the empty backpacks on Mondays. School officials have reported
to us that they have already noticed happier children who are able to focus on
learning instead of their hunger. That makes all of us happy,” said
Stoolmacher.
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| Back pack with nutritious food given to at-risk children to take home on weekends. |
Mercer Street Food Bank research indicates
that hungry children cannot learn and are more likely to be in poorer health
than children from homes that have access to adequate, healthy food. In
addition, hungry children are more likely to perform poorly on achievement
tests, repeat a grade, have higher rates of tardiness and absenteeism from
school. It has been proven that hungry children are more likely to have more
difficulties getting along with their peers, be more anxious, hyperactive and
have greater needs for special counseling.
Excited, Stoolmacher boasted, “last month, we
added a preschool program beginning with 90 children as part of our ‘Send
Hunger Packing’ program. Now, they, too, have food for the weekends in their
back packs that we stock with nutritious food. Similarly, we give them back
packs on Friday; they return the back packs on Monday.”
Stoolmacher explained that some families are too
embarrassed to admit they need help to feed their children. So instead of publicly
identifying families, school teachers, school nurses and guidance counselors
lend a helping hand. They discreetly identify the children they know who come
to school hungry or who express they have very little food in the house. They
meet with the parents to explain how the program works and seek parental
approval to have their child participate in the program.
Food distribution is limited to Mercer County 501c3 registered
food bank members who serve the hungry through their food pantries, soup kitchens,
shelters or social service programs.
Stoolmacher explained that
Congress appropriates money to the USDA. The USDA uses that money to buy and
provide 30-40 percent of food to feed the hungry through organizations as
Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, which is one of six food banks in New Jersey. The
allotment is based on unemployment and poverty figures of each state.
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| Volunteers sort and assemble food items. No candy, no soda, low sodium, low fat. |
The NJ State Department of Agriculture also plays an
active role in helping to feed the hungry in NJ. For the children, its
allotment is based on household income and poverty figures of particular areas
within the state to ensure a fair and equitable distribution.
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| Community Resource Liaison Brian Peterson oversees volunteers in warehouse as they sort food items. |
Besides help from the federal and state governments,
Mercer Street Friends Food Bank helps people apply for SNAP benefits (a/k/a
food stamps). It also seeks grants, retail store donations, donations from farmers
and growers, food industry donations, private donations and volunteers.
Located at 824 Sylvia St., Ewing, NJ, Mercer Street
Friends Food Bank serves as the central packing, sorting and storage location
for approved 501c3 charitable organizations in Mercer County with food pantries,
soup kitchens and shelters that serve children, needy families, the elderly,
the disabled, the homeless and the indigent since 1987. To help, call
609-406-0503.
“He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have
many curses.” Proverbs 28:27
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| Coordinating food delivery to Mercer County 501c3 food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, child care centers, senior citizen sites, youth programs, social services programs for the elderly. |
He who is kind to the
poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. (Proverbs 19:17NIV)
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“Just
as the body will breakdown and die without food, the soul will do likewise
without God,” said G.G. Womack, II, Pastor. “But
He answered and said, ‘It
is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God,’” Matthew 4:4.
(Photos taken by amateur Darlene Womack)
