What is All This Stuff in the Hall?
by Carol Heine and Sandy Houpt
Perhaps on occasion you have entered Epiphany by way of the lower level doors, gone to your left through fire doors, and have seen bags of all sizes and shapes in the bins and on the floor. You may have asked yourself, “What is all this stuff?” The short answer is…it’s Epiphany loving Jesus by serving others.
Over 40 years ago the congregation of the small Lutheran church across from Bethany wanted to help its brothers and sisters in need. And so began the Pantry. In those early days, from a corner in a Sunday school room, the volunteers served about 50 people in a year. In the first six months of this year alone, the Pantry has served 2515 individuals. The need for help from Epiphany’s emergency food and clothing pantry continues to increase, and it is on track to exceed previous years’ fulfillment, as long as it has the resources to do so.
Through June 2016, Epiphany’s Pantry supplied…
- Clothing to 1138 children
- Clothing to 658 adults
- Household items to 603 families
- Personal care and cleaning supplies to 751 families
- Food to 862 families
The People We Serve
We partner with over 40 agencies, schools and churches throughout the Miami Valley. Some of the clients are children of struggling single parents. Some are adults who cannot work because of their own health problems or those of their children. There are grandparents who find themselves caring for grandchildren because Mom is on drugs or in prison. We help homeless folks living on the streets or in their cars, and folks who are transitioning from homelessness into an apartment, and some who just can’t make it on their own.
Not only are we sending much-needed material items, we are sending a message of Jesus’ love, hope and compassion.
Item and Monetary Donations
We able to serve so many in need, because first of all, Epiphany friends and families are very supportive. Many of those bags you see in the hall are filled with donations of clean, gently used clothing and shoes, linens, dishes, flatware, pans and other small household items, and food. Some people give monetary donations, and some participate in the community rewards programs from Kroger, Dorothy Lane Market and Meijer. A few participate in the Amazon Smile program. We have also received grants from places such as the Berry Foundation, Corner Cupboard, and the Centerville -Washington Foundation.
Volunteers – The Hands and Feet
On Mondays there is a team of volunteers who sorts through all the donations. Other volunteers come throughout the week on their own to sort. The Tuesday team fills the requests from the social workers that have come in throughout the previous week. Those are the brown grocery bags you see in the bins, waiting to be delivered to the clients by the case workers. We also have volunteers who purchase needed items. Those who buy food use the gift cards from the Meijer Simply Give program. When our non-food shelves run low on items such as new socks and underwear, cleaning and personal supplies, we have volunteer shoppers who find the best deals to stretch your dollars.
In total, there are about 25 regular volunteers, serving approximately 115 hours on a weekly basis. The Pantry sometimes receives additional help when young people come to serve on occasion.
Projects
While the Pantry runs at maximum operational capacity, it is often blessed with 
service projects to help stock the shelves and supplement community needs.
service projects to help stock the shelves and supplement community needs. -
Earlier this year, the Pantry was blessed to receive space to create a food work room for volunteers to complete food requests. The need for more space is another sign of growth and increase in need from the community.
- 2016 Lenten Service Project – If you’ll recall, the entire congregation donated and assembled more than 220 Pantry Care Packages, containing non-food items that could not be purchased with Meijer Simply Give cards, which are limited to food and some baby item purchases. These Care Packages were depleted by mid-May!
- We are looking forward to Hunter McNachtan organizing a winter coat drive for an Eagle Scout Project this autumn.
- In previous years, Epiphany’s Pantry hosted a school supply drive. The weekly volunteer needs are too great right now to also coordinate such a project, but perhaps next year, an individual or group might be willing to organize this effort.
- Did you know that Adopt-A-Family used to be coordinated by the Pantry, but to help off-set the already busy demands of the Advent/Christmas season, Ed and Cindy Watson took over the organization of this annual, congregation-wide service project. We are currently blessed with the Quick Family in this role!
How Can You Help?
- First, keep our clients in your prayers.
- Continue to donate your gently used items.
- Participate in the community rewards programs.
- Join our sorting team! There is always a need for sorters, and once trained, you can help sort donations on your own schedule.
- If you have an idea for a Pantry service project that you’re passionate about, contact Pastor Jay.
- Because the Pantry is running at a higher rate this year, the Dedicated Fund is running lower than usual for this time of year. Monetary donations would be greatly appreciated! Please designate “Pantry” in the check memo, or give online.
Supporting your Pantry is one way we can Love Jesus by serving others. “…Just as you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40
