How we started
The pantry was born
in 2000 when members of Smith Chapel
United Methodist Church started
selling used clothing for
pennies to needy people. Before
long they were bringing in
canned goods and giving food to
those who needed the clothes. It
was then that volunteer Dannie Devol
got the idea to expand.
"We had a food bank locally and
I wanted to see if we qualified
to get the food which, at that
time, was 16 cents a pound." As
a nonprofit organization, they
qualified for discounted food
from the regional food bank,
which also provided free staples
such as bread and produce. "So
we took a little money out of
the treasury and we got
started," says Devol. With
some church funds and additional
contributions from the Devol
family, a food-for-the-needy program
was born. Devol, his wife
Jane, and a half-dozen
volunteers served as staffers.
On the first day, 17 families
showed up for food. Before long
it was 100. The food was distributed in the church
parking lot from the beds of pickup trucks, and the
country road in front of the
church was jammed. Still the
people came.
"They might have a decent car
and live in a house, but maybe
they just lost a job. Some work
in fast-food restaurants and can't
make it on what they're paid. This is not
just for the poor, poor, poor
people, this is for the
in-between, for the needy," Devol says.
Eventually, he and Jane moved the
operation a short distance from
the church to its present
location in a
building that they owned. The
building was
larger and had a bigger parking
lot. They handed out staples on the second
and the fourth Monday of every month
to anyone who said they
needed it.
"If they'll stand in line in the
cold freezing rain and wait for
these groceries, they pretty
much need it," he says simply.
Our growth into a community
ministry
Each year, this need continues
to grow dramatically due to job
losses and cutbacks in the area.
And Devol and crew continue to
rise to the challenge. From the
original 6 staffers, the regular
volunteer crew now numbers about
60. The church mission has
grown to a community mission.
People from other churches and the community
donate cash, food, or time. As
of December 6 2008, the ministry
received over 260 donations.
By networking with other food
sources, these donations can be
multiplied three to five times
in actual value of food. And 100
percent of all donations goes toward the
purchase of food. The only
overhead for the ministry is the
$500-a-month utility bills,
which are paid with the proceeds
from the clothing sales.
What keeps us going
Devol puts in about three full
workdays a week running the food
program. He does all the
ordering, organizes the
volunteers, and shows up on every
distribution day at 6 a.m. His
home number is listed with the
American Red Cross and the United
Way in Hocking County, and he
and Jane are occasionally called
to deliver food to those who are
unable to come in person to the
pantry. Neither Devol nor anyone
in the ministry is ever paid.
"This is not a job," says Devol.
"It's a pleasure to serve these
people." Devol recalls a
day on which they had crates of
apples to distribute. "The
little kids," he chuckles,
"grabbed those apples like it
was Christmas!" It is many
moments like this repeated month
after month that are reward
enough for the Devols and their
staffers. "We're here to
serve," Devol says. "That's what
it's all about." And, thanks to
their tireless
efforts and the efforts of all who help
them, the hungry, who arrive with open arms
and empty stomachs, can leave with
hope. |
