We are great advocates of the Food Stamp Program and we are always advising and encouraging our clients as well as non-clients to apply for this benefit. If they wish to apply we help them and even if they just receive the minimum benefit it helps them buy an extra box of cereal or a container of milk. Rest assured that The Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry will continue to assist all that come to us to the best of our ability and no man, woman or child will go hungry while we can continue to maintain our doors open.  We do everything we can to help these individuals but we realize that we did not do it alone in the past and can not do it alone in the future that is why we want to say: Thank you for all your donations and support – We could not and cannot do it without YOU.

In the month of November 2008, we served 163 families equating to 314 Adults and 237 Children. This number is now the largest number of families served since the founding of our organization in 1983.

 

Thank You to all the KMFP Volunteers – A leader is nothing without the individuals that truly make it happen.  Our volunteers are to be commended for their dedication and hard work.  They not only volunteer their time every week but also assist in anyway they can beyond the normal operational hours. I ask all our supporters and readers of our website to please join me in thanking this great dedicated TEAM for all they do throughout the year.

 

A Typical Day at the KMFP –Throughout 2008 we had a number of individuals visit our facility.  They were very impressed and totally amazed how we are able to do all we do out of the two (2) small rooms that we are currently housed in – but where there is a will there is a way and until the day comes that we are able to open the doors to our new facility we do the best we can with what we have.  Let me summarize a typical operational day at our facility – volunteers arrive between 8 – 9 AM to setup, we are usually stumbling upon each other to make sure everything is ready, doors open at 9:30 AM, the clients we serve and the new ones coming in are sometimes 2-3 deep or outside waiting to get in (especially at the beginning of the month), the phone is ringing, Food Stamp preliminary processing is sometimes going on, donations are coming in, client interviews are going on, referrals being handed out, new/renewal applications being processed, ensuring that clients sign for their goods, questions being answered, a sympathetic ear being lent to a client or potential client who is stressed and emotionally upset due to their situation and has no one to turn to, candy or sometimes little toys that have been donated being handed out to “Isaiah’s Little Angels” that come with their mom or dad to get their goods to keep them entertained, volunteers in the back putting bags of food together (like an assembly line production), shelves are being replenished (if we have the goods to replenish them) and finally the food orders for the families are processed in the back room for distribution, as our Registrar for example says “2 and 3 Ben” which equates to 2 adults and 3 children and Ben Defibaugh who is one of our volunteers gets the order processed.  Are you tired or mentally exhausted yet?  Well we do all this and sometimes more every Tuesday and Thursday for three (3) hours.  What do we get in return out of this sometimes chaotic situation? The answer is very simple – the satisfaction of knowing that at the end we are doing our best in helping people within the communities we serve. Want to learn more about our organization meet our volunteers and see our operation first hand – remember “A picture is worth a thousand words”, just give us a call to arrange a visit.