Print this story | E-mail story | This story has 24 comments Add your own | iPod friendly

United Way to close food pantry

By Vershal Hogan (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Wednesday, June 11, 2008

NATCHEZ — The United Way opened its new office on Canal Street Tuesday to allow the public to come in and ask any questions, but no one came.

The office is now again located at 203 N. Canal St. — the former location of offices until the agency took over the food pantry and moved into its building.

The United Way chose to move back to Canal Street to give the office more visibility and a separate identity from the food pantry, United Way Chair Mike Gemmell said.

The United Way has decided to close the Natchez food pantry as of Aug. 1, unless another non-profit can come in and take over the day-to-day operations of the pantry.

United Way has been operating the food pantry for the last year-and-a-half, and its expenses were outstripping their funding, Gemmell said.

“I hate to do it, but we have the other 22 agencies that we fund, including the food bank in Vidalia, to think about,” he said. “The operating expenses for the food bank would be coming out of our general allotments for the other agencies, and the food pantry never actually applied for United Way funding.”

Catholic Charities has submitted an inquiry to the local diocese about taking over operation of the food pantry, and that decision is expected to be made June 15.

Until then, the United Way has applied for grants through the Wal-Mart and Kraft foundations to keep the pantry open, but thus far have been unsuccessful, United Way Administrative Assistant Brenda Cantu said.

“There is a lot of competition for those grants,” Cantu said.

The United Way was originally started to serve as an umbrella organization to collect funds for all local charities instead of all of those groups having to collect all of their funds themselves, Gemmell said.

“We checked with the national office, and they told us they discourage actual involvement,” he said. “They told us our job is to tap the caring strength of the community to find funding for the groups that meet our guidelines. We were never supposed to be operating it.”

The food pantry was originally started by the Natchez Ministerial Alliance, and currently feeds 1,100 families, up from 500 when the United Way took over on what was supposed to be a temporary basis, Gemmell said.

“I really hate to have to do this, but the operating expenses for the food pantry were $40,000 (for the year),” he said. “We’re only talking about a $100,000 budget.”

Comments

Posted by cherron (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 12:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

what about the donations from the casino? I donate alot from my paycheck every two weeks.

Posted by oldsaw (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 12:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Collecting funds? Why not just give directly to the charity you support?

Posted by Peace007 (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 1:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Where is the food pantry?

Posted by lookingout (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 1:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

i didnt know there was a food bank in vidalia anybody know where it is

Posted by Choctaw (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 1:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The only program that I know of in Vidalia is The Feed The Hungry program that the Assembly of God Church sponsors!

Posted by sobeit (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 6:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Unless it has moved the food pantry in Natchez is on the 61 bypass in the old A & B Motors building.

Posted by veroniss (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 7:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Assembly OF God of Natchez gives out food also.I dont understand how the system works but,dont the state give food stamps to the needy?Arent the tax payers having to pay something on the food stamp progam?I hear people always getting food stamps.We need jobs bad for Natchez.God Bless everyone that has to have help,and boo on the ones that use the programs that dont have to have help.I used to have to have help,but in june of 1993 I called the foodstamp office and told themto take me off of their program for food stamps because I was going to go to work.I have not had to get them since.Im not putting anyone down,some people need help,but there are others that will not work and we the peolpe of Natchez has to help support them.Now that is not right.I think its great to have programs to help the needy but not the Lazy...

Posted by kpage (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 7:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

veroniss...the program is set up to help those helping themselves, or for the disabled, or elderly...unfortunately, the lazy folk lie and take from those who need it. I asked a social worker one time about that. She said many food stamp and welfare receivers are dishonest but that it would take much money and manpower to weed them out...something the states of Mississippi and Louisiana can ill afford. "It's all about who's honest or dishonest, " she sighed!

Posted by blueeydlady101 (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 8:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree with veroniss about there being alot of people out there that are too lazy to work or that abuses the system. I draw disability and a few food stamps. But the amount they give in food stamps for people that are disabled will only buy enough groceries for two days. The elderly people don't even get that much so what are they suppose to eat if they close the food pantry.
Why does United Way of MS. have to sponsor the food bank in Vidalia and not Natchez? This doesn't make any since to me whenever MS. is taking care of LA. and not our own state.

Posted by LdyBreez (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 8:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Government programs are a joke! I would like to see the politicians live for just one month on what they consider elegible for the programs. Believe you me, they would raise the elegibility level. I've been there, the red tape you have to go through to get and keep food stamps is unreal. When you leave that office, you feel like you have reported when you went to the bathroom.

I had termites eating my home and had to come up with the funds to correct the problem, but would DHS have considered that in my monthly expenses? No they would not have. I should have spent that money on food and continue to let the termites eat too.

Food banks are needed! God working in our community through spititual and religious organizations is needed! They do more good than our government does. I know I wont ever apply for government assistance again no matter how badly I might need it. I do not like being put under a microscope than have the case worker look down on me and that is the feeling I got. It's hard enough having to go and ask for assistance, much less feel like you are the scum of earth when you leave.

Posted by drawpaintsing (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 8:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This is not good. Can the community get involved to help them?

Posted by vilou (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 8:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Blueeydlady, If you will check you will find the name is The United Way of the Greater Miss Lou, that includes Vidalia. The United Way is a national organization. People in Vidalia contribute to the one in Natchez.

Posted by msmama (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Where I work was getting involved with the Ministrial Alliange Group that had the Food Bank. Next thing we knew the UWay had taken over and the lady that was instrumental in getting the Food Bank up and running was gone. I knew this ladys heart was for this calling....just don't know why the UWay took over. Personally I think like everything in Natchez it became a power thing. However now the UWay realizes it is beyond their capabilities.

Posted by 1sparkle (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 10:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Yes, it is very sad that the UW drives most things in the ground. The food bank in vidalia is "feed the hungry", UW helps with that, BUT NOT MUCH!
The lady that started it did love it, the UW cut her hours and didn't want her to talk to them like people like they really are. Yes there are those who use the program. Then there are those that truly need it and are VERY grateful for any help! I wish she could get it back, maybe if God willing she can.

Posted by msubulldog (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 10:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

There was a church that was running the food bank out of their church. The Minister allaiance was assisting with the work. Then United way took over. The lady that was running the program was doing a great job and was organizing other churches to assist. When un-united way took over there was too much red tape and the director was trying to micor-manage everything. She's gone and the now the program is gone. Lets hope the lady(I think was a nurse at Dr. Stretches office) takes it back over. God bless those who need it.

Posted by Peace007 (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 2:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Why can't Natchez get a grant to keep the food pantry open? They give grants for everything else...why not for food banks? People need food to survive.

Posted by mylove25 (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 3:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The Food Bank was birthed from the Ministrial Alliance after Katrina. UW (Kathy Stephens) was very instrumental in getting our community to work together. (She could make a good Mullgaeon's Stew, if you remember your old kindergarten story. It's when the town's people ALL came together to make something to eat.) But afterwards, Kathy really wanted a key place for organization's to work and function together out of. The M/A also felt the need and desire for our needy, poor, disabled and unempoyled. First Assembly Natchez had been running a food pantry for 6 years and had maintained on a monthly basis of caring for over 400 Families. U/W wanted those families so F/A merged with U/W. Yes, there were power struggles but we can make move on and a difference.WE CAN MEET THIS NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY

Posted by elvisss (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 3:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm hungry.

Posted by WalterLynn (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 4:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"The food pantry was originally started by the Natchez Ministerial Alliance, and currently feeds 1,100 families, up from 500 when the United Way took over on what was supposed to be a temporary basis, Gemmell said."

So where are the 1,100 families supposed to get groceries once their meager allotment of food stamps is gone?

Posted by cooper3k1 (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 4:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Maybe people should talk with area churches to set up "food pantries" within the churches for the families. This would help some. When I lived in Natchez, there was one at our church and the members controlled it. Just a suggestion.

Posted by goodtimes (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 9:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I was reading the news online and came across this. Apprently United Way is doing this locally across the country. If these United Way can do this then why can't ours?

United Way food distribution Saturday
By T&D StaffWednesday, June 11, 2008
Leave a Comment | Default | Large

BAMBERG -- The United Way of Bamberg County, along with Golden Harvest Food Bank, will distribute food to residents of Bamberg County this Saturday, June 14.

The distribution will be held at the Bamberg Civic Center on Main Highway, Bamberg, between the hours of 9:30 a.m. to noon.

The United Way and Golden Harvest Food Bank are nonprofit organizations whose objective is to provide equal opportunity to all recipients without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability or political affiliation.

Recipients of food must show proof of residency in Bamberg County at time of registration. Those persons registering for food should take a box with them to the site and may register for only one box of food per household.

Posted by kpage (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 9:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

And a good one at that, cooper. Unfortunately for me, a local well-known church charity couldn't help me, although I went to that church all my life. Some people just slip through the cracks. I think about those people who need the food bank to survive because their benefits are meager (no thanks to the food stamp program). Feed the Hungry in Vidalia will lovingly take up where UW so "justifiably" dropped them.

Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on June 11, 2008 at 9:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

LdyBreez you are so right....

Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)

(Requires free registration.)

Username:
Password: (Forgotten your password?)

Comment:



advanced search 

Try these other Natchez Newspaper Web sites: Natchez on the River and Natchez Scene

© 2008, Natchez Newspapers, Inc.

Contact us