Some Ask ‘When?’ Others Ask ‘Will We Eat?’

Most folks get hungry three times a day. Usually they find something to fill those tummies. At this time of year there is a concerted focus because there is a real need for food banks and pantries. It is sad that we so often consider hunger of others around the “dark time” of year, when holidays abound. That is reality, and it is better considered now than never. Hunger exists year-round here and everywhere.
Boy Scouts, U.S. Postal Service letter carriers and many others have reached out into the community asking for donations of food. Church pantries are finding themselves stretched almost to the breaking point. Still, when the need is made known, charity abounds.
For those who doubt the need for food, Dave Bollinger, who oversees the food pantry at First United Methodist Church in Court House, reported that, on the third Saturday of last month, the line started to form at 7 a.m. The doors open at 9:30 a.m. On that day, 75 families sought food from that one pantry.
Without doubt, other food pantry coordinators could tell similar tales of need in Erma, Wildwood and Cape May, Woodbine and Ocean City. No place is exempt from those in need of food.
There is an oversupply of those who declare, “That’s what government is for, to feed them.” As need expanded, limits were imposed. It is difficult to imagine trying to exist on those government dollars. Those in the greatest need are finding their food supply rationed as never before. The need will grow as more turn to government for aid. Whether or not we want to acknowledge it, the need exists, poverty infects many in our county.
Each of us can do a little bit to help. It could mean dropping off a few cans of vegetables and soup into a donation box. It could mean writing a small (or large) check to a food pantry.
If monetary restrictions make any of the foregoing impossible, consider a donation of time at one of those pantries. Surely there is a need and help is always sought by those running such private collection points. Often the need exceeds the stomach into the soul. There is often hunger for a listening ear and something government cannot do, share a prayer with and for the person. At such times, “faith-based” isn’t such a terrible adjective to describe an organization.
At its Nov. 25 meeting, the Cape May County League of Municipalities took a collection before its dinner which netted over $322. That was sent to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, which assists food pantries in this county. That was one small step, but similar steps are needed by many organizations.
If every organization in this county took a similar collection at this month’s meeting, it is safe to state several thousand dollars could be realized, and our faceless neighbors, who may be hungry as you read this, could be fed.
Volunteers in Medicine of Cape May County recently sent an email that dealt with #GivingTuesday that “inspires personal philanthropy and encourages bigger, better and smarter charitable giving during the holiday season, show that the world truly gives as good as it gets.”
In its message entitled “Make a Difference with the Gift of Health Care,” written by Judith Swankoski are some examples that make us see a glimpse of the other world in which some live.
“With new health care laws to navigate this year, more than ever, the 500 patients of VIM of Cape May County continue to need our services. (That need continues to grow.)
“These patients are skating on thin ice and slipping through the cracks of an overloaded system. Medical concerns and endless paperwork leave them feeling helpless and hopeless.
“How does a diabetic woman living in her car refrigerate her insulin?
“How can we help the middle-aged man with heart issues receive proper care when he is subsisting solely on peanut butter sandwiches?
“These are real problems facing your neighbors, and they look to VIM and its staff as a trusted and essential part of their lives.” Anyone interested in assisting VIM should call Jackie Meiluta at 463-2846 ext 104.
There are likely many among us who have, at one time, experienced such downfalls in their lives. Maybe they knew hunger as a child. Perhaps they fell onto hard times later in life, and a big meal consisted of a bowl of soup and some soda crackers.
I think of a brief moment in Shop Rite when a small kindness took place, witnessed by my wife and me. I was busy unloading the shopping cart at the checkout, and knew it was taking longer than usual. There was an elderly woman who had a few items, macaroni and cheese, canned gravy and a loaf of bread. She lacked enough money to cover the cost. A woman ahead of us, without missing a beat, told the cashier she would pay the woman’s bill.
The look of gratitude on the elderly lady’s face said it all, words were not needed. You could tell she was fighting back tears as her lips moved to say “thank you.” That is a sermon on charity.
Does the need for food aid exist here in Cape May County? The answer is obvious.