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In these tough economic times, more people are seeking assistance with food and utility and rent payments, which Catholic organizations are providing at several locations.
The largest is Helping Hand of Greater Little Rock. Last week, they were in the midst of preparing Thanksgiving packages for people and were gearing up for a toy distribution in December, in addition to handing out bags of food each day.
Helping Hand is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. It is a food pantry and thrift store, which receives much help in food, funds and volunteers from area parishes and schools.
Pulaski County parishes contribute all the time, said director Bruce Limozaine. At Christ the King Church in Little Rock, they have a MOMS Pantry food collection every month and bring in vanloads of items.
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He estimated that with the canned goods from the students, and some other donations, Helping Hand had enough canned items for about a month.
In one room were boxes and boxes of food ready to hand out for Thanksgiving. Limozaine said they would distribute 210 Thanksgiving Day meals for families Nov. 23 and 24.
He picked up some of the items they had.
"This is the kind of stuff we have, sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, soup, pork and beans, this is the normal kind of stuff we go through every day to feed the people," Limozaine said.
The week before Thanksgiving, Helping Hand had already given food to 1,000 families and the month was not over yet.
Limozaine said Helping Hand averages 100 families a day getting groceries. This presents more people than in the past.
"Normally, we hover at between 80 and 85," he said. "All this month we have had 100, 101, 103 (families). We are running about 7 percent this year over last year. We average about 1,400 families a month. This month we will have over 1,500."
Contributions are down from previous years, but thanks to a generous donor who contributed $25,000, Helping Hand has managed to keep up. In addition, Helping Hand just started its annual fundraising campaign, which typically raises enough money over the holidays and into January to carry the agency through the year.
"The stewardship has been great," he said. "What has really helped us is that as the money has gone down, the churches have picked up in donations. It is fantastic because, on the one hand, we know that the people that were hit hardest because of the economy are the ones who are typically the day-to-day givers to the church and to us because the people who we serve are not able to give. The average middle-class person who gives the $10 a month, they have really stepped up and are a godsend in that way."
"When push comes to shove, the people in the churches have always helped out," Limozaine said. "We have never had a day in our 40 years where Helping Hand has had to close its doors."
"At Christmas we do toys for children," Limozaine said. "Every one of our clients, who come in here three or more times during the year and they have children under the age of 12, we have Christmas toys for them."
Parishes that contribute toys and money include Christ the King, Our Lady of the Holy Souls, St. Edward and the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Little Rock and Immaculate Conception in North Little Rock.
In addition, every summer, Helping Hand gathers and distributes school supplies for client children. This summer they gave supplies to 551 students.
He estimated Helping Hand gets 150 new families signing up for food every month.
"Most of those families are people that are either unemployed or had a change in circumstances in their employment and are coming here for short-term help," Limo zaine said.
In Rogers, the St. Vincent de Paul Society Food Pantry has increased over the years.
"We started in December, 2004 out of a carport, 350 square feet, which we enclosed," said Tony Howard, food pantry manager. "Then we moved to the building in front of the carport, 2,000 square feet. Before we moved, we served around 200 families a month. By 2006 it was 450 families a month."
Last December, the number increased to 800 a month and now they average about 850 families a month that the pantry assists, he said.
"So far through October this year we served 7,634 families, or 30,536 individuals in all," he said. Once a month, each family can wind up with about 34 items, ranging from food to toiletries and soap. When available, they also get fresh vegetables and fruits.
They turn no one away, Howard said.
"We see the face of Christ," he said.
Parishioners help by collecting food items in a brown bag once a month. In addition, every quarter there is a drive to raise funds.
St. Vincent de Paul School and Mercy Health System also assist the food pantry.
They were preparing 30 to 35 Thanksgiving baskets and were getting ready for the toy giveaway in December.
The food pantry has about 100 volunteers and operates two hours a day, four days a week.
"We follow the Holy Spirit, that is why I feel we are so successful," Howard said. "He has taken care of us. One day, we went into the pantry, we had a big day that day, it might have set record as far as clients. By the end of the day, so many people came in with donations that we had more at the end of the day than when we started. We were blessed. Many times we have been blessed that way."
In Texarkana, St. Edward Church does not run a food pantry, but they do give lunch out to those in need every weekday through the St. Edward Outreach Center.
Director Teri Wilson said the center is supported by members of the parish. In addition to providing a daily meal, the center also assists with utility bills and groceries twice a week.
Wilson said they see between 150 and 200 people a day.
"It is definitely more, I would say there has been a gradual increase, but this year has been an incredibly high number," Wilson said.
There are also many young people as well, who come from two homeless shelters.
There are 25 volunteers who make sandwich meals, and one volunteer makes soup once a week.
About half of the items used to prepare the meals come from Harvest Texarkana; the remainder is from the volunteers, she said.
"We are trying to keep up with the increase, but there comes a point in time when we have to close the doors," she said. "Otherwise there would be 200 to 300 a day."
The center was started by an Hispanic family in the parish who made 25 sandwiches and passed them out the door each day, she said.
In addition, the center gives out clothing vouches for the domestic violence resale shop, and once a month blankets and coats whenever they are available.
In Fort Smith, it is a family affair with some assistance from the parishes for In His Name. Bill Buergle said it was started by his parents and after they died, he and his siblings continued.
"We get support from the three Catholic churches in town, individuals, family members, things like that," he said. "We do not ask for money. It just kind of happens. It is a low- key deal."
In His Name concentrates on providing supplemental food for the poor elderly residents living in a housing district, he said. There is a coordinated effort by food pantries in town, which asked if In His Name would concentrate on the elderly and others who are not mobile because In His Name can deliver the items. They make between 150-200 deliveries a month of canned goods, rice, cereal, bread, milk, cheese, butter, eggs and some meat.
There has been a drastic increase in the number of people seeking assistance in Fort Smith, he said. The Catholic churches call if they have a family in needed, or a parishioner knows to go by and get whatever items the family might need.
"We don't ever ask for money, the churches have always supported us," he said. "Everything goes to the people."
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